All That Glitters
by xGuiltyxPleasure
Summary: A young man struggling to raise his young daughter without her mother. A glamorous starlet confined to a world of complete self absorbency. Over time, both have come to learn a hard lesson, that all that glitters isn't gold. Troypay.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story, again. **

**The general plot of this story was the first ever High School Musical fantasy idea I ever had, way back in the day. (2006. Whatever.) But I never wrote anything on it. I decided to finally make a story based on it while reading GimmeABeat's story "What We Keep Hidden" which I just finished. It inspired me, because it's really good, but also it got me thinking about how all Troypay child stories always center around Sharpay struggling to raise the child on her own, while Troy's MIA. This story switches perspective on that. **

**So, I'm so horrible at making a good summary that's short enough for FF's restrictions. Here's the deal: If you want the full summary leave a review saying so, and I'll PM it to you. But, if you'd rather just wait and see how the story pans out, then you won't have to worry about me spoiling it in this A/N. **

* * *

Troy Bolton smiled into the late afternoon sun. He sat on a park bench, his favorite park bench, alone, enjoying the peace and quiet. In his hands he grasped a dogeared paperback, the yellowing pages having been flipped through many times before. He was not reading it though, for the time being at least. Instead, he gazed at the playground, approximately thirty feet away from his current bench, watching with amusement as the wide eyed, uncoordinated small children that occupied it ran across the sand, climbing up slides, swing sets, and any other equipment they were able to ascend. Children never seemed to use playground equipment for their intended purposes, only using it to clamber around like monkeys.

One girl in particular seemed to have a real knack for acrobatics. Troy spotted her, just as she was climbing up onto the top bar of the highest swing set in the park. His heart hit his chest with a giant thud as she tottered while shifting from her knees, to standing on her feet. She was still bent over, as she grasped tightly to the wooden rectangular plank, giving herself a minute of composure to gain her balance. Troy realized with a start that she intended to stand up on the beam, and flashes of broken arms raced through his head as he jumped up, running towards the girl as fast as he could.

The bundle of children that had gathered underneath the swing set, appreciatively looking up at the girl, now backed away, as the full grown man invaded their domain. Troy jumped up on a plank situated horizontally between the two vertical bars that held up the left end of the bar the little girl still clung to. He snatched her off of the top of the swing set with his right arm, and jumped back down onto the ground. The child stared at him with her large blue eyes, surprised.

"Daddy!" she whined, looking down at the other children, that only seconds ago had been admiring her with unspoken awe. She frowned, embarassed, and looked back at Troy, "I would've been the first kid that's ever stood up there!" she exclaimed.

"Mckenzie, you could have gotten hurt. You know better." Troy set his four year old down on the ground, allowing her to walk on her own.

"Come on, now." he continued, "We need to get home and make dinner." He took her hand and led her towards the parking lot.

* * *

Troy drummed his fingers against the handle of his shopping cart, containing the groceries needed to prepare that night's dinner. Mckenzie stood by his side, never willing to degrade herself by riding in that little seat attached to the front of the buggy.

"Daddy, look." She tugged his jeans, and pointed at the cover of an issue of _Cosmo _magazine.

Troy stared at it for a minute.

"Uh huh." he replied with as much disinterest as he could muster. He frowned and adverted his eyes away from the woman's magazine.

"Can I get it?" Mckenzie asked when he didn't acknowledge the subject any further.

Troy knew she was going to ask for it. He frowned down at her.

"Please?" she pleaded, widening her baby blue eyes that matched his in shade for emphasis.

Troy nodded solemnly, then swallowed, turning away again as his daughter reached up to the shelf on the magazine stand where her desired issue stood on display.

* * *

"Daddy, what does in-spy-red mean?"

Troy sighed and looked up from the paper work he was attempting to do from the couch. Mckenzie had the magazine sprawled out on the central coffee table and flipped open to a spread, and was attempting to read the article on her own. She was very good at reading, for her age, but still, she occasionally came across words that looked foreign on the page, due to the fact that they were not featured in her preferred reads of and _The Very Hungry Caterpillar. _

"The word's 'inspired' Mckenzie." Troy answered.

"Oh." she stared back at the page for a moment, debating whether or not to ask him another question. She knew he tended to get irritated when she interrupted him while he was "working from home". She bit back the urge to ask for the word's definition.

After a few lapsed moments of silence, Troy looked over at his daughter, who was now tracing her finger lovingly over a photo, staring at it intensely. Troy was unable to resist stealing a look at what Mckenzie was so enthralled with and set down his papers. He walked over to her and knelt down behind her, staring at the professionaly shot photograph.

"Her hair's not really that color you know." He noted.

Mckenzie turned her head back to look at him, "It's not?"

"Mm mm." Troy shook his head, "A really really long time ago it was the exact same color as yours."

Mckenzie gathered some of her own long brown hair into her hand and looked at it with new appreciation.

"Why'd she change it?"

"Pretty girls don't always realize when they're pretty and so they do a lot of things to try and make themselves as beautiful as they already are." Troy explained.

"She used to have a little bump on her nose too." He recalled, "And I liked it. But she changed that too." He sighed.

"Did you tell her?" Mckenzie asked.

"Huh?" Troy looked down at his daughter, having briefly lapsed into his own world of memories.

"Did you tell her that you liked her nose, so that she wouldn't go and change it?" Mckenzie licked her lips and looked up at Troy with her innocent eyes. She still had the child mentality where there was a simple, easy to find solution to every problem, and it remained unfathomable as to why grown ups were never able to find these solutions.

Troy sighed again, "By the time she changed it, she didn't care about my opinion anymore."

He held out his hand, "Come on. It's time to get ready for bed."

* * *

Mckenzie sat, propped up against her pillows, snuggled underneath her white down comforter.

Troy walked into the room.

"You brush your teeth?" he asked her.

Mckenzie nodded in response and looked back at the magazine she still held.

"Why don't we go ahead and put that up now?" Troy suggested.

She shook her head, "I just want to look at it a minute more."

Troy gave in, and walked over to her, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"She's beautiful." Mckenzie murmured, still running her small hand over the same photograph she'd been looking at earlier, a familiar longing in her eyes.

"Yeah." Troy stole a look at the picture for a minute, "She is. But it's not enough to beautiful on the outside. You have to be beautiful on the inside too."

Mckenzie looked up, "On the inside." she repeated.

Troy nodded.

"How do I get beautiful in there?" Mckenzie asked.

Troy leaned forward and kissed his daughter on the forehead, "Don't worry. You already are."

Mckenzie flipped the page, studying another photograph now.

"Did you love her?" she asked softly.

Troy stared at his hands. How many times did his daughter have to ask that same question and hear the same answer, before she was satisfied.

Still, he replied, "I did."

"Do you still love her?" Mckenzie asked. This was the question she never received an answer for.

Troy sighed, "It's time for bed Mckenzie."

"I love her." Mckenzie said, ignoring Troy's comment, "I love her real bad."

Troy smiled softly, "She loves you real bad too."

He placed his hands tentatively on the magazine, "Say goodnight." he instructed.

"M-uah." Mckenzie said softly, leaning forward and placing an affectionate kiss on the magazine picture.

Troy closed it and walked over to the box in the room where the other magazines, clipped out articles, and photographs were kept. He set it down inside.

"Good night Mckenzie." he walked over to his daughter again and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Good night Daddy." she kissed his cheek in return.

Troy walked out of the room, and turned off the light.

"Leave the door open a crack!" Mckenzie yelled routinely.

Troy complied, and then retreated back downstairs to finish his work.

He sat down at the round oak table in the kitchen, a pen and a blank sheet of paper set out in front of him. He had perfected a feminine script, and used it whenever he wrote these letters, dotting his i's with tiny hearts, and curling the ends of his y's and t's. His daughter had come to expect these letters weekly. Part of him felt guilty, for lying to his daughter, and for making her live on false hope, watching out the windows every day, waiting for those cherished visits.

There had been four actual visits, since Mckenzie was a baby, and the first two she couldn't even remember. But the other two had been sureal, fragile moments for Mckenzie, where she had stared with extreme hunger and deprivation at the woman Troy had once loved, too afraid to touch or kiss her, though she so badly wanted to. In return, Mckenzie was regarded in the exact same manner, and it was unsettling and painful for all involved.

After she had left more of the unnecessary gifts she occasionally mailed to Mckenzie free to of any personal message, she would be gone again, promising Troy she would be back much sooner the next time, and that she would actually stay for a longer visit, claiming it was always "work" that got in the way. Troy never touched her, or uttered many words to her, but instead would stand stiffly, uncomfortable, and stare her down harshly. She'd seem to shrink back underneath his merciless glare, but she'd always stand a minute before leaving, waiting for him so say anything. Sometimes, he could have sworn she wanted him to beg her to stay, but both of them knew that wasn't his responsibilty.

Then she'd be gone, out of their lives again for another year. Each time, the scar she'd left on their lives seemed to be reopened and cut deeper than the time before. Troy knew to really make Mckenzie let go of her, he shouldn't have started writing those ridiculous letters. But he'd just wanted to see her smile, see the love she held so greatly for the phantom figure in the magazines returned to her somehow.

So, when she was three, he began writing to Mckenzie, always signing the letters, _Love, Mommy. _

The worst part about playing along with the sharades, was when Mckenzie came up with the idea on her own to start writing back, with Troy's aid. Now he was faced with the challenge of tactfully ignoring all the painful questions that were written about her abandonment, while still trying to ensure love from the imaginary character he had invented to accompany the beautiful face that stared at his daughter through photographs.

* * *

**A/N: Review please. :) **

**xoxo.**


	2. Chapter 2

Karina Woodsen picked up the last of the few stray toys on the ground, and set them down gently inside a red and blue trunk. She glanced back at the only child left in the room, who sat at a small plastic child sized table, concentrating very diligently on a coloring sheet. She smiled sympathetically, knowing how the little girl felt when she was the last one left at the daycare. The other teachers had gone home. Karina was always the one who stayed after. She liked the little girl, and she felt for her father too, a single dad run ragged, often having to complete excessive work at home in order to leave in time to pick up his daughter, and keep his job.

Karina squatted down to be at eye level with the girl, "Mckenzie, I think there are still some cookies left over from snack time. Would you like one?"

She smiled, hoping to see the solemn child's face brighten. Mckenzie looked up, and for a moment appeared to be seriously considering the offer.

"No thank you." She said after a moment, returning to her coloring sheet, "It would ruin my appetite for dinner."

"Oh." Karina stood back up to her full height, feeling a little disappointed. Darn. That was a good answer, but not really the kind of one you would expect from a four year old child.

"Okay then." She muttered softly. She located a hangnail on her thumb and began to chew on it absentmindedly, studying the back of the girl's head.

"I'm sorry you had to stay late again." Mckenzie said, not looking up from her picture.

"That's okay sweetheart. I don't mind."

"Is it good?" Mckenzie set down her crayon and held up her finished artwork, a printed picture of the Disney princesses, their dresses colored unconventional colors. Her name was printed largely in the bottom with blue crayon, sloping downwards and running off the page before it was finished, so that it appeared to read "Mckenz".

"Very good. Do you want to hang this one up here, or take it home?" Karina asked her.

"Hang it up here." Mckenzie answered, sliding off of the tiny red chair she had been seated on.

Silently, the two walked out of the classroom towards the front hallway of the daycare, where a large bulletin board was mounted on the wall, used to display the creations of the kids. Mckenzie handed over her artwork to Karina, who pushpinned it right in the center of the board. Mckenzie stood back to admire her displayed work.

The glass door adjacent to the now dark front office opened, and Troy Bolton walked in, looking apologetic.

"Daddy!" Mckenzie ran to greet him, wrapping her arms tightly around his legs.

"Hey princess." He picked her up, and then turned to Karina, a guilty frown on his face.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." He said, "I had a meeting that ran way over, and traffic was horrible by the time I left."

"You're fine. It's no problem at all to stay and watch her." Karina assured him, "She may be the most well behaved child I've ever met."

Troy laughed, "That's a long shot. But, I really appreciate it."

Karina smiled, "I'll go get her things."

Troy followed her back down the hallway towards Mckenzie's classroom, and waited outside the door until Karina reappeared with Mckenzie's backpack, decorated to look like a ladybug, and her nylon lunchbox.

"Thank you." Troy said, taking the items from Karina with the hand that wasn't currently holding up Mckenzie on his hip.

"You're welcome." Karina replied. She tucked a piece of her shoulder length blonde hair behind her ear, "I know it's hard, being a single parent, and I'm happy to help out."

"Thank you." Troy repeated.

"Sure." She paused for a moment, and then innocently suggested what she had wanted to ask for a long time, "Maybe we could go get a cup of coffee or something sometime. You know, if you ever needed a break."

"Oh, um..." Troy nodded nervously, not wanting to reject someone who saw him daily and performed favors for him often, staying late to watch his child, "That would be great. We'll set a date sometime."

"Oh. Okay." She looked a little crestfallen at the postponement of even setting an actual day to go out for the alleged coffee, but she smiled and nodded, trying not to let her feelings get hurt as Troy began to back down the hallway away from her.

"I'll see you Monday. Have a good weekend!" Troy called over his shoulder to her.

"You too." She mumbled, barely audible.

* * *

"Wake up munchkin." Troy softly shook his daughter.

She squinted her eyes to make out his form, and then quickly dove her head back into the pillow, yelling, "No!"

Troy sighed. The hardest part of his day, by far, was waking Mckenzie up. She had never been a morning person, even as a baby, and she always fought him like hell every single morning.

"Sweetie, Daddy's gotta go into work this morning, remember? You promised me last night you would be good and get up in time to get ready to go over to Uncle Ryan's." Troy attempted to reason with her.

"No!"

"Fine." Troy stood up, and picked Mckenzie up himself, having to tug when she grabbed ahold of the headboard on her way up.

"Come on. I've already got your clothes laid out for you." Troy set her down on the ground, and proceeded to strip her of her pajamas and dress her, while she stood like a zombie, hardly able to blink.

Fifteen minutes later, after he had struggled through brushing her hair and teeth, and forcing shoes on her feet, she was downstairs, fully awake, and jumping up and down, using the counter as a lever, while Troy grabbed a banana for her breakfast. She frowned when he handed the fruit to her.

"I want Rice Crispies." She corrected his infracture by walking towards the pantry to recieve the cereal on her own.

"There's not time baby. I have to get to work." Troy appologized, "This will have to do until you get to Uncle Ryan's."

Mckenzie glared at him, and snatched the banana out of his hand, always irritable during the morning. She led the way outside into the not yet fully lit morning, opening up the door to the passenger's seat, and climbing in.

* * *

Before Troy had a chance to knock on the front door, Mckenzie flung it open, and ran inside.

"Uncle Ryan!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Troy chuckled as Ryan Evans appeared from the small kitchen of his home, his blonde hair discheveled, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"You really have to start locking your door." Troy informed him, "You're just inviting criminals into your home."

"I don't think there's anything in here worth stealing." Ryan shrugged, "Unless they're coming inside to have their way with me."

Troy laughed, "Well you would be very tempting in those Snoopy boxers. I'd love to stay and talk, but I have to get going, like now."

Ryan held up his hands, "Say no more. Mckenzie and I are going to have an awesome time today while you're gone. I'm feeling the Chuckee Cheese vibe today."

"Yeah!" Mckenzie exclaimed, running away from Troy to stand near Ryan.

"But, we do need to have a talk this afternoon when you get off." Ryan said seriously to Troy.

"About what?" Troy asked.

"I don't want it to be on your mind all day. We'll talk about it later."

"Oh come on, you have to tell me." Troy pleaded, "If you don't, I'll be wondering what it is all day."

"Well..." Ryan glanced down at Mckenzie, "Hey, Kenz, you want to go into the kitchen and get some breakfast?"

"I already had a banana." Mckenzie stood her ground, sensing she was about to be left out of something.

"Please?" Ryan begged, "You can have anything you want."

Mckenzie sighed, "Fine."

Ryan waited until the little girl had fully exited the room, and then turned to Troy.

He lowered his voice, "My sister called last night."

Troy felt his heart pound against his chest, and suddenly felt unable to go into work at all, or even to move from the spot he currently stood. Chills ran down his back at the thought of her, the girl who was now only a ghost of a former person to Troy.

"What did she say?" Troy finally asked, the way his voice cracked not going unnoticed by either of the young men.

"I really think it would be better to talk to you about it this afternoon, when we have enough time, and you don't have to worry about... emotional setbacks at work." Ryan explained.

"Oh." Troy was silent for a moment, and then nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I should get going. I really can't afford to be late."

He looked towards the kitchen, "Bye Kenz!" He called.

Mckenzie came running back into the living room, "Bye Daddy!"

Troy managed to stumble out the front door and to his car, not knowing how he was going to manage making it through the day. He certainly would not be able to concentrate on his job.

* * *

At six that afternoon, the doorbell rang. Mckenzielooked up from the coloring book she was focused on, and turned around to yell, "Daddy!", at the closed oak door. Ryan stood up from the couch, and walked to answer it.

"I've been a wreck all day." Troy said as soon as Ryan appeared.

"Come on in." He held out his hand as a gesture.

"Thanks."

Ryan led Troy towards the kitchen. Mckenzie started to stand, wanting to join the two adults, but Ryan turned and stopped her.

"Mckenzie, stay in the living room and work on your coloring book." Ryan instructed.

"No!" Mckenzie protested, shaking her head of wavy brown hair with force and scowling up at him, "I want to see Daddy."

"We have to talk alone for a minute about grown up stuff Mckenzie." Troy explained, "Please, be nice and stay in the living room for just a minute while we talk."

Mckenzie glared at the two men, but turned on her heels, stomping back into the living room as loudly as possible.

"She's definitely my sister's kid." Ryan commented.

Troy allowed himself to chuckle for a minute, though in truth, Ryan's words saddened him. His statement was technically true, but in all reality, it was a lie. Mckenzie had no mother, a fact Troy did not permit himself regularly to accept.

"So she called?" Troy asked.

"Yeah." Ryan sighed heavily, "She was upset. She's at some turning point in her life or something."

Troy scoffed and Ryan tilted his head and thinned his lips in an expression that said he agreed with Troy's skepticism.

"She said she really misses you... and Mckenzie." Ryan eyed Troy carefully, "She's coming back."

"Oh God. I haven't checked the calendar. Is it time for her yearly visit again already?" Troy's sarcasm came across just as it was intended, heavy and bitter.

Ryan shook his head, "She wasn't talking like that this time. She sounded serious about it."

"Sounded serious about what?" Troy spat out, staring the table down brutally, unable to look his male companion in the eyes.

"About starting over with the two of you. And I know she has no right-"

"You're Goddamn right she has no right!" Troy shouted.

He stood, in a furry, "If she was so serious about it, anyway, why couldn't she have called me?"

"She said she knew you would just hang up on her, and she thought I could get the message to you." Ryan murmured, quieted by Troy's sudden rage.

"That's total bullshit! We both know that even though she deserves it and it would be the right thing to do, if she actually called there's no way I'd be able to..." Troy trailed off.

"I know." Ryan replied softly.

"But you can tell that bitch that I don't ever want her to come around me or my child again." Troy instructed, "Use my exact words too. She's a worthless bitch and I want her to know that's how I feel about her."

Ryan nodded silently, unable to look into Troy's face. Troy had every right to be upset, and every right to say all that he was, but the words still stung when they were spoken about Ryan's own sister, even if he himself now believed the words were true.

"You'll tell her won't you?" Troy asked.

Ryan nodded numbly.

"Good." Troy said hoarsely, "I really appreciate you watching Mckenzie."

* * *

_"Troy, I'm freezing." _

_"Tough it out a few more minutes, I'm having fun." _

_Troy treaded the water beneath him, ignoring the biting cold of the air that nipped at all of his body that wasn't submerged. She stared at him pleadingly, her teeth chattering loudly, wrapping her arms around herself in a useless attempt to keep warm. He stopped treading and allowed his feet to touch the bottom, giving in to her display. _

_"I can't tough it out anymore. My lips are turning blue." _

_"Ok, ok. You win. We'll go home." He approached the blonde beauty and took her in his arms, holding her in the water for a second, despite her insistence in wanting to leave._

_"You have to admit though, this was kind of fun, right?" He asked. _

_She wrapped her legs around his waist, easily supported by him in the water, and shook her head. __"No. I've been freaked out about the neighbors waking up the entire time. And I really want to get the hell out of here, now, before we get caught." _

_"Really?" Troy raised his eyebrow mischievously, "You're afraid of getting caught?" _

_"Yes. They could call the cops!" _

_"Ahhhh!" Troy threw his head back and let out the loudest yell he could muster, before turning away from her and rushing to the stairs of the swimming pool. _

_"Well you better hurry then before you get caught!" He called behind his shoulder. She remained standing in the pool water, beginning to panic._

_"Be sure to grab all our stuff too. I grabbed the bathroom towels with your initials on them!" Troy ran towards the gate._

_"What the hell are you doing?" She shrieked. _

_She thrashed through the pool and onto the cement, just as the porch light turned on. _

_"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" She squealed. _

_She froze, paralyzed by fear and unable to move. Suddenly, a figure was behind her, causing her to scream in alarm, before she was hoisted up into the offenders arms, along with the items she had failed to grab. He ran out of the backyard with her, and down the road, not stopping until they were a safe distance away from the house. She was set down on the ground while her kidnapper let out a hearty laugh._

_"You jackass! I can't believe you just left me there!" She smacked her palm into his shoulder._

_"You should have seen the look on your face when I did. You were freaking out!" He continued his tyrade of laughs at her expense, while she stood across from him, shooting him dirty looks._

_"I can't believe you would just leave me like that." She grumbled, when at last he had quieted down. _

_"I didn't leave you. I came back for you." He pulled out one of the towels on his arm, and wrapped it around her, pulling her into his body. _

_"I would never leave you anywhere." He wrapped his arms fully around her lower waist and kissed her forehead gently. _

_"Promise?" She looked up at him with large brown eyes, pushing her lips out in a pout. _

_"I promise I will never leave you." He assured her. He pulled her into his chest and nestled his face into the top of her head, resting against her mess of blonde hair. "I love you too much."_

**

* * *

**

A/N: Ah, so glad I got to publish this on Ashley Tisdale's birthday! Happy 25th birthday Ashley! I don't know how many of you have accounts on Ashley Tisdale's fan website, but if you do, you should go leave your happy birthday messages for her.

**Thanks to my recently aquired beta- A Midnight Vixen, who, btw, advised me to put the flashback in this chapter in a different one, because she thought it didn't fit with the conversation before it. But I want it there, so I kept it, and in my guilt, I think I should post what I wrote to her in response to justify. I wrote back saying: **"The flashback doesn't coincide with the last line of the conversation at all, but I actually intended for it to be that way. I ended the chapter with Troy storming off after saying all these horrible things about Sharpay, and then flashed back to a scene where they're completely in love. Oh, and I wanted the dramatic irony of her asking him to promise to never leave her, when in fact, we all know she leaves him."

**Ok? Well hopefully y'all see things my way, but if not, oh well. Leave your reviews either way. :)**

**And once again Happy Birthday Ashley Tisdale!**

**xoxo.**


	3. Chapter 3

It was late Sunday evening and LAX Airports was as loud and chaotic as always. Children screamed, pushing their parents, stressed from traveling hassles, into screaming themselves. Women argued with employees at check-in over the size and number of bags that were allowed as carry on. Men repeatedly walked through metal detectors in the endless security lines, each time finding one more lone paperclip in their pocket to remove.

But near the airport's main entrance, all noises turned to excited whispers and pointing of fingers, as a young blonde woman, approximately age twenty five, walked through the doors, rolling behind her a Louis Vuitton Monogram Idylle suitcase, the matching duffle hooked on her left arm. Her heels clacked on the marble floors, and she neglected to remove the oversized sunglasses on her face, even while indoors. Newly arrived out of towners, descending down escalators on their way to baggage claim were in for a treat, already claiming a celebrity sighting. Some of the more seasoned locals who held their share of "run ins" with the rich and famous managed to stifle any sort of reaction. A few clueless people glanced around helplessly, at a loss for why one woman had managed to draw so much attention to herself merely by existing. But quickly they caught on to the clear message being conveyed: She was definitely _somebody. _

* * *

Unfortunately, the plane heading from Los Angeles, California to Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a packed flight. First class was completely booked, and the blonde woman, clearly a celebrity, who was often used to private flights or at least a seperate section, found herself situated in a window seat, on a three seated aisle, a middle aged woman directly beside her, with her, a little girl to the furthest left.

"Oh my goodness." The woman said, once she had fully adjusted herself and the little girl in their seats, "What are the odds I'd end up on a flight seated beside a famous actress? It's a pleasure to meet you."

The blonde woman, who had removed her sunglasses during security, and placed them in her purse, smiled curteously and nodded.

"My granddaughter watches that movie of yours all the time. That modern day fairy tale one." The woman shook her head, unable to think of the title.

"It's my favorite!" The little girl leaned over and grinned.

At this point, the blonde's smile turned genuine, and she too leaned across, to be face to face with the child.

"Hi!" She beamed, "What's your name?"

"Anna." The little girl replied. Her blonde hair was twisted into two braids, and she shyly played with one of them when she spoke.

"That's a beautiful name! You're very pretty." The actress replied.

"Thank you." The girl giggled, and grabbed on to her grandmother's sweater bashfully.

The woman smiled, but then sighed. The shade of blue of the little girl's eyes flooded her mind with troubles, and she suddenly had no desire to interact with anyone. She leaned fully back in her seat, staring straight ahead, trying to meditate and relax her mind.

"So what brings you to Albuquerque? Or are you just crossing over?" The middle-aged lady asked.

The blonde jumped. After deciding she wanted to be left alone, she had assumed her wish would be automatically granted, but apparently, she hadn't payed her dues in the way of small talk. For a moment she appeared to be formulating an answer, and then she carefully replied, "Family ties."

"Oh! Are you from Albuquerque?" The woman appeared to take delight in this, smiling fully, her top lip revealing her gums.

"Yes. I lived there my whole childhood actually."

"So did I! I moved to Pasadena when I was in my twenties, and had my family there. But my eldest recently took a job back in New Mexico, and now that she's settled in her new home, I'm flying out there with her little girl." She patted Anna's leg and smiled. "My name's Marie, by the way."

"Hi." The other woman smiled softly, prompted by the introduction to repeat her hello.

The captain began talking to the flight passengers through speakers, causing everyone to fall hush. The safety precautions were reviewed as the flight began preparing for take off. The warning to put away all electronic devices was issued, but the blonde reached under her seat into her bag, and withdrew her iPod anyways. The stewardess stared at her, and the blonde raised her eyebrows, daring for her to say something. The stewardess did not, and even shook her head, as if to answer no to the woman's challenge. For the rest of the flight, the celebrity on board had a diversion, and did not speak another word to any of the passengers.

* * *

"I was watching TV today and I saw a commercial." Mckenzie stated.

Troy sucked in a deep breath, and glanced over at his four year old, seated in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead, as they drove to the movies. Technically, he knew that his daughter was supposed to be in the backseat, and probably even seated in some carseat or booster seat, or whatever was appropriate for a girl her age. But Mckenzie hated being babied, and Troy hated having to upset her, and so he tried to choose his battles, and keep her as happy as he could, turning off the airbag in the passenger seat, and allowing her to ride shotgun in every outing.

His sharp intake of breath, however, had nothing to do with the theory that Mckenzie's current placement in their car could compromise her safety. There were times when Mckenzie brought up commercials, merely because she wanted a toy being advertised, just like every other child. But when she spoke in that placid tone, not turning to look at Troy for even a moment, he knew she was being serious, and he knew why.

"It was a preview for something new." She continued.

"Oh?" Troy asked casually, waiting for her to dive into the kill.

"With my Mommy." Mckenzie finally concluded.

Troy shivered. For some reason, it always bothered her when he heard Mckenzie refer to her mother as, well, her mother.

"Did it look like a good one?" Troy tried to ask the question only in a detached manner, but failed miserably, sounding startingly cold and bitter.

Mckenzie seemed to notice his tone, and turned towards him, checking to see if the hate in his voice was directed at her.

"So did it?" Troy relaxed his voice and tried to sound as gentle as possible to make up for his error in tone.

"It's a grown up movie." Mckenzie said, "But I still want to see it."

Troy sighed loudly, "Mckenzie, you said you wanted for me to take you to go see that Pixar movie. What did I tell you about fibbing?"

Mckenzie's bottom lip quivered, as it began to pucker out, Troy recognizing the look all to well. She had not been the one to originate it, but rather had seemed to inherit it, and not from the Bolton genes pool either.

"Mckenzie..." Troy tried to say her name in a way that would pacify her, and stop any screams or cries before they began.

"You never let me see her! You never let me do anything I want, and you don't even care!" A sob rattled from her, and she crossed her arms across her chest in a pout as the tears began to pour from her eyes.

"Baby please don't cry." Troy winced, uncomfortable, hating to see his little girl in tears, no matter the circumstances.

"I want to see my Mommy." Mckenzie insisted, defiant even through the wet sticky mess she had created on her face.

Troy inhaled deeply. It was natural for children to cry for their mommies. Of course, this usually constituted the want of a living being, and not the wish to see them on a giant screen, while the child shared their time with her with a hundred other people.

He finally nodded, and muttered, "Okay", immediately hating himself from caving in. He didn't think he could handle having to see her, even on a moving screen, especially after the recent news he had recieved. Not only that, but he wasn't sure if he was truly making the best parenting choice by continuing to take Mckenzie to see those films, when she never saw her real mother in the flesh. At the same time, by those standards, him forging letters to Mckenzie wasn't wise either, but he still continued with that. He just couldn't allow himself to think too long term. He tried his best to keep Mckenzie appeased in the here and now, hoping she wouldn't resent him for it later in life.

"Really?" Mckenzie's tone turned chipper, and she wiped away at the salty residue on her cheeks with her left wrist.

Troy nodded grimly, and reached for the dial on the radio, turning up the latest annoying pop hit, too distracted to be bothered by the music.

* * *

Troy felt both of his palms sweating as he held Mckenzie's hand with his right one, and her popcorn in his left.

"You sure you don't want to see that movie about the talking animals?" He offered weakly.

Mckenzie only glared at him in response, and he tried to push back his anxiety.

He didn't want to see her. Not in person, not even on a movie screen. Everytime he did, his heart rate increased, with both a familiar beat he recognized from long ago, and with new surges of anger. Both feelings were ones Troy tried his best to hold hostage and control, and seeing her face never helped him in this feat.

"She looked so pretty in the preview." Mckenzie was saying, as they walked down the corridor of theaters, while Troy kept his eyes peeled for their showing.

"This one." Troy led her into the dark room, ignoring her comment.

During the previews Troy felt as if he were on death row, waiting to finally be placed in the electric chair. When the film finally started, Troy jolted, shocked that her face was the first shown in the very first scene.

"There she is!" Mckenzie whispered excitedly. She reached blindly down for a peice of popcorn, and bounced in her seat while she munched.

Troy tried to ignore the nauseating feeling in his gut for Mckenzie, satisfied at least to see such visible happiness on his daughter's face.

"Yep." He muttered. He directed his eyes to the blurry moving background of the scene, trying to direct his focus anywhere but her face.

It was an hour into the movie, when the moment came that made Troy regret letting Mckenzie persuade him to let her see it. He began to feel uneasy as he saw the main male character leading her, the star, up to his apartment. Silently he willed that coffee would be all the camera would show. But he wasn't so lucky. He was fully ready to cover Mckenzie's eyes, when they entered the bedroom, but by mistake never saw it coming when, while still in the kitchen, the girl lifted her shirt up over her head. Troy gasped, and his hand flew across his daughter's already scarred eyes. Troy himself wanted to scream, and glanced about the theater in bewilderment at the audience, horrified that they had seen a part of his former lover, that for so long he had thought belonged to his eyes only.

He couldn't stand it. She was even more undressed on the screen now, and even knowing it was all acting, Troy knew if he saw her having sex with another man he would completely lose it.

"Let's go." He whispered to Mckenzie.

Her eyes were still sheltered by his large hand, and she blindly asked, "What?"

"Let's go." He said it much louder this time, causing a couple of people near him to make shushing noises.

"No Daddy, I haven't seen the end!" Mckenzie argued.

"I don't care. This movie isn't appropriate for you anyway. We're leaving." Troy picked her up, and Mckenzie began to cry tears of anger, punching Troy squarely across the chest one time. He ignored the soft blow, and carried her out of the theater.

He felt guilty for taking her to the movie, and just as guilty for making her leave it. It seemed all he was capable of as a parent, were mistakes.

* * *

When Troy pulled the car into the driveway, a still sniffling Mckenzie, arms crossed angrily, in tow, there was a strange car parked in the driveway. A black mercades, that appeared to be a few years old.

Mckenzie was unbuckling her seatbelt, eager to be as far away from Troy as possible.

"Shit. A rental." As Troy came to his realizations, Mckenzie was already bounding out of the car.

"No Mckenzie wait!" Troy called, but she slammed the door, and ran towards the front porch.

"Fuck!" Troy yelled loudly, before he too jumped out of the car, hurrying after his daughter. He cursed himself for never moving the spare key from under the welcome mat.

Mckenzie ran straight through the front door without obstacle, as the door had already been unlocked by the house's other current inhabitant. Troy hurried after her, and walked through the front door, hurrying towards the kitchen.

Mckenzie had already reached her destination, and stood, frozen, staring at the blonde woman who sat at the kitchen counter with shock, too afraid to speak a word.

Troy swallowed. He was too late, and now they all were face to face, before he could even prepare his daughter.

He looked at the blonde woman, who gave him a small half smile from the table.

Troy's nostrils flared, and he glanced down at the ground in both agitation and nervousness, before he spoke.

"Hey Sharpay."

* * *

**A/N: Hey y'all! Sorry it's been so long. Things have been pretty crazy. But I'm here, with another chapter, finally! So please please leave me some nice lengthy reviews. I'll really appreciate it, and be sure to write you back. **

**On a random note, and sorry for always using my A/Ns to forum other topics, but have any of you twitter users noticed that all your tweets have dissapeared, or is there just something irked with my account? **

**Oh, and Hellcats is almost here! (Yayy!) Can't wait to watch Ashley tonight on Jimmy Fallon! **

**Oh yeah, and in an effort to put a smile on her face, I dedicate this chapter to didush. ;)**

**xoxo.**


	4. Chapter 4

_"Troy." _

_He finally turned to look at her, standing in his dorm room, a solemn expression on her face, her blonde tresses pulled up into a high ponytail. In the back of his mind he was still harping on the sweat that drenched his body, along with the stench and desperate cause for a shower it created. But as soon as he had walked in to find her waiting for him after basketball practice, he instinctively knew a shower was the least of his worries. She hadn't greeted him with a chipper smile and a prolonged kiss, but instead had said in a stony voice, "I really need to talk to you." Looking at her now, he was suddenly stricken at how young and like a child she looked, her wide set eyes glassy, and her lips almost pouting. _

_"What is it babe?" He tried to play casual, but both of them sensed the heaviness that hung in the air. He wondered what shattering news she was about to break on him. She was leaving him? She had cheated on him? Or, she was..._

_"I'm pregnant."_

_She went immediately for the kill, and Troy visibly faltered back, recovering from the unexpectedly delivered blow. His head reeled in shock, trying to regain a sense of the solid world around him, gaping at her as he did so, a million what if's rushing into his mind. _

_She watched his every expression intently, and her composed, expressionless face crumbled in a matter of seconds, her eyes welling with tears._

_"I'm really sorry!" She sobbed, and then she fell back, her fall caught by his navy colored futon, which she then sank into in her hysterics. _

_He looked down at her, covering her face in her hands to hide a mascara stained face while she shook and trembled, and immediately his senses came flooding back to him. He quickly was beside her on the sofa, his arms wrapped around her, using one hand to comfortingly rub her back, while he kissed her sticky cheeks over and over again. _

_"Ssh. It's okay, everything's going to be fine." He whispered gently, "Ssh. Don't cry baby."_

_"I've ruined our lives!" She cried, her head rocking in towards his body, coming to rest when it cradled between his chin and his chest. _

_He kissed her hair, "Ssh. No you didn't. Everything happens for a reason."_

_A couple of years before, when she was nothing more than a friend, she had comforted him over a break up with the exact same words. At the time, they did little for him to ease the pain, but he looked back on the moment fondly now, reminded that without that break up, he never would have ended up with the person he now loved more than anything else in the world. _

_As he held her in his arms, and thought of what a treasure she had been to him, he could only hope that this situation would yield the same results, and the loss of his dreams of playing basketball would be sacrificed for a greater gift. _

* * *

Mckenzie was still silent, looking too frightened to even move. She gazed up at the woman whom she talked so passionately about when she wasn't around, but for whom she could now not even muster a single word.

"Hi Troy." The blonde replied to his greeting, smiling timidly at him while she stood up from the counter top stool.

"Hi baby." She knelt down and ran a hand under Mckenzie's chin, gazing at her for a moment with a strange look on her face, her expression hard to read even for Troy, who had at one point been able to pinpoint her exact emotions simply by the way she turned her mouth or raised her brow.

Mckenzie flenched at the touch of the blonde's fingernail's grazing at her skin, and she turned her eyes to look at Troy with fear. Guilt bomboarded him like an avalanche. He should have been preparing for this. Ryan had warned him she would be returning. He realized now he should have sent Mckenzie to her grandparents, so that she wouldn't immediately be thrust into dramas too beyond her anyhow. But instead, he had ignored the problem, a flaw he knew was all too typical for him.

The blonde stood back up to her full height and approached Troy, leaning forward in an attempt to hug him. He stiffened and refused to wrap his arms around her in return, trying his best not to breathe in her scent while she stood so close, and to ignore the feelings of her body pressed against his, and the way her hair tickled his neck. She still wore the same perfume. Chanel No. 5. It was a classic, and the one thing about her he still recognized.

Registering his regection of her embrace she took a step back, a hurt look briefly etched on her face, but one that was quickly erased as she forcefully smiled again.

"Mckenzie." Troy addressed his daughter, who still stood like a lifeless doll on the floor, her head tilted up while she stared at the blonde in wonderment.

"Go upstairs and play in your room for a little bit, okay?" Troy used his eyes to plead with his four year old not to put up a fight.

He saw her lips just begin to quiver with objection, but she seemed so shaken, that she stilled and responded with nothing more than a silent nod before turning away and leaving the room, never having spoken. Troy listened to her light footsteps patter down the hall, and then slowly take the stairs.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here." Troy spoke as soon as he heard Mckenzie's foot hit the top of the stairs.

"Troy, please don't be upset with me. I missed you both." She pleaded.

Troy clenched his jaw, "Did you? Oh, well, I'm glad to hear that. Now that I think about it, I'm _not _upset with you." Troy's voice dripped with bitter sarcasm, but he kept his voice low and even, not wanting to raise his voice with his daughter upstairs, "You've ignored Mckenzie for the majority of her life, but as long as you missed her, that's what matters."

Troy took a step into the counter lined section of the kitchen, looking down underneath one, inside a white cabinet, and withdrawing a clear liquor bottle.

"I'm going to need this if I'm going to have to deal with you, for the next..." Troy trailed off and eyed her, in a way that let her know the conversation to come was not going to be any more pleasant than it was already proving, "How long is the yearly visit going to last this time? Should we make it the usual hour, or are you staying for dinner so we can really catch up? Since you missed us so terribly."

"Troy." She muttered hoarsely, "I know you're angry with me. You have every right to be. But I'm not back for a one hour visit this time."

"So you're brother tells me. Forgive me if I'm not so quick to trust you." Troy snapped. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet above him, and unscrewing the liquor bottle, poured a dose into the cup. He tilted his head back while he quickly swallowed the acidic liquid, wincing from its strength.

"I came back for a second chance." She murmured, ignoring him as he dramatically downed another shot.

"Second chance denied. If you'd be on your way now, I have to make raviolli, and try to figure out how to sneak some vegetables into the diet of a kid who throws a fit at the sight of any green food." Troy rattled.

He glared at her heatedly and unyieldingly, but inside he was shaking. To not see her in the flesh for so long, and then to suddenly have her standing in front of him was extremely unsettling. Immediately all emotional wounds were reopened, and he knew even if she walked out of the door immediately without another word, he was still going to need months to reheal again.

"Please Troy." She kept her own voice quiet, following in the tone he had spoken in, "I want to talk to you. I want a chance to ask for your forgiveness."

"Forgiveness?" Troy loudly slammed his glass on the counter, "You want to ask for _my _forgiveness?"

She nodded weakly, "Please, if you'll just give me a chance to talk to you, try to give you some sort of explanation, and appologize. I know I don't deserve it, but I swear, I've changed."

Troy scoffed, "You don't understand. If it had just been me when you ran off, and you wanted my forgiveness, even after all this time I'd still be stupid enough to at least try to forgive you. But you have a daughter, who you never see, or even try to keep in contact with at all, and you've permanately robbed her of the most important part of a little girl's childhood. And no matter what you do you can't take that back, Sharpay. You don't get a second chance."

She chewed on the bottom of her lip, staring at the floor with shame, "I know."

"You do?" Troy's question was disingenuous, used to mock her. He rinsed his glass down the sink, knowing he shouldn't drink anymore when he still had so much to do before he put Mckenzie in bed for the night.

He turned to look at Sharpay with a mean glint still visible in his eyes, "I wouldn't be so certain."

"I know you think I've been having the time of my life, and that Mckenzie never crosses my mind, but I think about her everyday. Both of you." She raised her eyes up from the floor, though not fully, peaking at Troy through her coal colored lashes. "I had sort of a... turning point, where I realized I needed to start making the right choices, and come home."

Troy trembled, "You can't just show up here and shake our world. If you do that then Mckenzie will... she's going to realize that..." He stumbled, and then stopped, a hand pressed on the side of his head to relieve the forming pressure, while he eyed Sharpay.

"Let me show you something." He led her to the living room, and opened up a storage closet.

"What?" She peered in at the boxes and bins.

"These." Troy backed out with a handful of ripped open envelopes, only a few of the many that filled the boxes. "They're letters. Some of them are written from Mckenzie to you, and the others are written from you to Mckenzie."

"But I didn't..." She started.

"Exactly." Troy rubbed his temple, "This is the only 'contact' Mckenzie's had from you throughout her life, and it's all a lie. She thinks she loves you, but she doesn't. Mckenzie's "mother" is just a fictional character I created. And then there's you."

Sharpay's eyes glinted with swelling tears, "Me?"

He eyed her cooly, "A cold hearted bitch who doesn't even have the ability to love her own daughter."

"Oh Troy." She whispered, as the tears streamed freely down her face now, her crying at least muffled and soft.

Troy refused to look at her face, and walked away from her, shifting uncomfortably as he stood, waiting for her to recompose herself. Finally he could feel her standing behind him again, and he turned to face her.

She sniffled, "If there can't be any reconciliation between you and me, can't I at least talk to Mckenzie?"

Troy felt a sharp pang strike his chest from the inside. He hadn't planned on granting her forgiveness, but he was still dissapointed that she had given up so quickly.

"To explain why you're leaving again, you mean?" His nostrils flared and he felt even more long since supressed raw emotions beginning to surface.

"No!" Sharpay reached out and touched Troy's forearm.

He started, and flung his arm behind him, out of her reach, scowling at her with scorn.

"Sorry." She muttered, drawing her hand back slowly, calculating before she respoke, "I didn't come to visit though. I came back."

Troy's heart pounded against his chest. It was too late for her to come back, but to actually hear the words, phrased the way he had once spent months imagining her saying them, was almost too much.

"Troy, I spent years running from my mistake while it snowballed after me. It was larger every time I stopped to look at it, and I was just too selfish and afraid to do anything to fix it. But I've finally realized that continuing to run from what I've done is not going to make me any happier, and it won't make it go away. I know it took way too long for me to finally own up to what I've done, and I know I have to live with it for the rest of my life." She inhaled deeply, finally reaching her defensive argument, "But continuing to stay out of Mckenzie's life isn't going to make things any better. She's going to get older Troy, and when she does she'll realize my absence."

"You goddamn bimbo!"

Sharpay jumped at the brutality of his words, and took in a sharp breath.

"She realizes your absense now." He looked at her like she was the most dispicable creature on earth, and when he opened his mouth to speak to her, he shook with rage, "She hasn't stayed the same since you left. She gained the ability to walk and talk. Oh, she's potty trained too. I don't know if you knew about that one. That was fun to do alone. She knows how to read. And she's fully aware that all the other girls at school have both a mother and a father. She remembers your last visit, and she has all those silly magazines you're on. We even went and saw that sleezy movie of yours this afternoon, before you started tearing all your clothes off and we had to leave the theater. She knows exactly who your are, and what you do. And why don't you go ahead and have a peak at some of those letters she wrote while you're at it? She knows you're not around, and she always wants to know why! It's getting more and more difficult to lie to her, and I don't want to have to deal with the pain it's going to cause when she finally comes to the realization of what you did. But I would still rather go through all that than have you be around her! I said Mckenzie's mother was fictional, because that's exactly what I made her. The love that's written in those letters comes from me, and otherwise that person is completely made up. I don't want her to get to know you! You're a bitch who doesn't care for anybody else but herself. I don't want you to jerk Mckenzie's entire world by showing up here, horribly influence her, and then leave again in a week when you realize once again you can't handle the responsibility, hurting Mckenzie even more than you already have."

Troy's face had grown red with the rising of his voice, and from upstairs the opening of a door could be heard.

"Daddy?" Mckenzie's voice called from upstairs.

Troy flenched, hoping she hadn't been listening to his entire rampage.

"Yeah sweetie?" He called up.

"Why are you shouting at my Mommy?"

Sharpay's eyes grew large and she whispered to Troy with shock, "She called me Mommy!"

"Why the hell would that suprise you?" Troy snapped, "Did you think she didn't know your relationship to her?"

"No, it's just..." Sharpay trailed off and looked pitifully at Troy, "Give me one chance. Just for Mckenzie?"

"Daddy can I come back downstairs now?" Mckenzie called.

Troy remained silence, glancing from Sharpay to the bottom of the stairwell, visible from the living room.

"Yeah, Kenz." He finally replied back, looking Sharpay straight in the eyes, "Come on down."

He took a step closer to Sharpay, "You can't stay here at night, you can't talk about any of our personal issues in front of her, and you can't contradict me on any rules."

She nodded swiftly while the sound of four year old feet could be heard pounding down the steps. Mckenzie came flying into the living room just as Troy gave a final dissaproving glare towards Sharpay that let her know that his relent changed nothing between the two of them.

Then both turned to smile at "_their" _child.

* * *

**A/N: Please, please, please review. Send on all your love, support, and suggestions. Keep me writing. ;)**

**xoxo, A.**


	5. Chapter 5

Sharpay sat uncomfortably on the couch, staring at Mckenzie, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, watching cartoons. Every couple of minutes, Mckenzie would turn from the television to look at her, quickly turning her head again when she found Sharpay looking back.

Troy was in the kitchen preparing dinner, the inviting aroma of warm food circling through the house. He would continually walk to the open doorway attached to the living room, sighing when he always found the two in the same position.

"Are you not even going to talk to her?" The fourth time he walked in, he finally spoke to Sharpay, who jumped, then brought her hands together awkwardly.

"I was just sort of... letting her do her thing." Sharpay looked at Troy as if she was scared he might kick her out any minute, "I'm not really sure what to say to her."

"Are you staying for dinner?" Troy asked her coolly, ignoring the helpless look she shot him, and her comments about not being able to hold a conversation with her own daughter. It was her own fault, anyway, and he sensed that Mckenzie was uncomfortable as well, which heightened his hostility towards the blonde woman on his couch more.

"I know you don't want me to, Troy," Sharpay answered, "But I'd really like to."

"You can sit beside me." Mckenzie spoke up softly, "If you want."

Sharpay smiled softly, and Troy huffed, turning and storming back into the kitchen.

"Well it's ready." He called over his shoulder. Mckenzie stood up, and began to walk towards the kitchen, Sharpay following in pursuit.

"TV off, Kenz." Troy called.

Mckenzie scurried back into the living room, and Sharpay stepped into the kitchen, gracelessly tripping on the heel of her shoe, an effect of her visibly shaken nerves. She surveyed the meal on the countertop, the main course being pasta, the forbidden fruit of the Hollywood starlet.

"I'll just have a salad." She stated in as chipper a tone as she could muster, her mood dropping again when Troy turned around with a heavy scowl.

"I already made your plate." He grumbled.

"Oh." Sharpay glanced over at the small dining table where three plates of food were already placed, indeed containing a fair serving of ravioli beside the salad, "Well that's fine!"

She attempted to smile again at him.

"I'm glad." Troy snapped back flatly.

Sharpay sat down at the table, folding her hands in her lap, repeatedly reaching down to readjust her blouse in an effort to occupy herself until the other house members joined her. Troy seemed to be wasting time, idly moving dishes around, until Mckenzie ran back into the room. Finally, they both sat down at the table.

"Broccoli! Yuck." Mckenzie made a face at the vegetable on her plate that substituted the salad on Troy and Sharpay's, "Why can't I have salad?"

Troy sighed loudly, "I asked you which you'd rather have a half hour ago, and you insisted that was what you wanted. You like broccoli."

Mckenzie pouted, and then, as discreetly as a four year old could muster, glanced over at Sharpay's plate, then back at her own.

It resonated with Troy, and he reluctantly stood up, reaching over for Mckenzie's plate.

"Fine, I'll switch it out." He gave in.

Mckenzie smiled when the improved dinner was set before her, and Troy sat down again to his own dinner.

After a few seconds of eating in silence, Troy spoke again, this time to Sharpay, "Are you going to actually eat, or just push your food around on your plate. If you didn't want anything you could have just said so."

"I'm dividing it into portions." Sharpay explained, sectioning off a much smaller area of food, before dipping her fork into it.

"Not that you think my opinion's worth anything, but I thought you looked better when you were ten pounds heavier." Troy resounded.

"I was never ten pounds heavier!" She protested, glancing down at her body self-consciously.

"Yes you were. I just said you looked better then. It doesn't have to be an insult." Troy realized he wasn't making things any easier for himself by making the conversation unpleasant, but it was his only defense.

"Stop." Sharpay said, her tone that of exasperation.

Troy relented, going back to his dinner. Mckenzie eyed the blonde woman at the table for a moment, and then began to separate her own food into as many sections as she could, her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth in a sign of utmost concentration. Troy looked up and saw this, and huffed loudly.

"Why don't you stop picking at your damn food and finally take a bite?" He barked at Sharpay, his tone rising at a dangerous pace.

Sharpay wasn't the only one who took note of this. Mckenzie leaned back in her chair, her fork abandoned on her plate, and stared at her father, mouth agape.

Not wishing to antagonize him any more than was necessary, Sharpay responded by finally cramming a mouthful of the pasta into her mouth, pushing guilty thoughts of heavy calories to the back of her mind.

"It's really good!" She exclaimed, as soon as she had managed to swallow the large bite fully.

"Good." Troy responded without enthusiasm, "Are you finished?"

He stood up from the table, his own half-full plate in hand, and reached across the table for hers.

"No-" She tried to answer, but he snatched the plate away from her, leaving her dumbfounded while he stormed towards the sink, dropping the dishes in with a heavy clatter.

"I'm done too Daddy." Mckenzie announced, glancing up at him and looking just as uncomfortable as everyone else in the room.

"Four more bites." Troy instructed, softening his voice to the best of his abilities.

Mckenzie obeyed, quickly cramming in forkfuls, until she got stuck on the third bite, coughing violently. Sharpay looked alarmed, and reached her hands over unsure, gently patting the little girl's back. After coughing a minute more, Mckenzie hiccuped and stilled, glancing over at her mother again a bit apprehensively.

"Okay." Troy didn't push the meal further, "Come on, let's get you ready for bed."

Still out of sorts, and thus, out of character, Mckenzie didn't protest for another hour awake, even knowing she usually won those arguments. Instead, she nodded mutely, grabbing Troy's extended hand, and sliding out of her chair.

"I could help!" Sharpay offered, still sitting limply in her chair.

Troy turned to eye her coolly, "Don't worry. That won't be necessary."

* * *

An hour later, once Mckenzie was in bed, bathed, teeth brushed, and pajamas on, Troy returned back downstairs, to find Sharpay still there, spread out and asleep on his couch. He swallowed, surprised to find she had not left yet, and unsure of what to do. He wanted to avoid touching her, not wishing to revisit the pain it had caused him when she had hugged him earlier, but unfortunately, his presence did not alert her, and she continued to nap.

Troy reached over and gently nudged her, withdrawing his hand immediately after. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, but remained closed, and Troy was reminded of what a feat it had been when they were younger, and he was in charge of getting her out of bed in the morning. She was like Mckenzie in that way, a heavy sleeper who fought tooth and nail when it was time to wake up.

For a moment, Troy's nostalgia was pleasant, but he quickly came crashing back into reality, feeling fresh anger flood through him when he looked down again at was she was now.

"Wake up." He didn't shout, but he spoke loudly and harshly, and he saw her move again.

Her eyes moved around behind her lids for a minute, and she began to murmur under her breath. Then, she slowly came to, blinking slowly a few times and looking up to take in her surroundings.

"Oh!" She finally registered her company, and sat up, "Sorry. I had a rough flight and I sort of dosed off. You were up there a while."

"Yeah, taking care of a kid does eat up some time here and there." Troy deprecated her.

"Troy, please. I can't take one after another of your cut-downs the entire time I'm here." She pleaded.

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do?" Troy demanded, thrusting his hands towards her, "Just bite my tongue, bottle emotions up inside, and pretend you never walked out on Mckenzie and me?"

"No. No, of course not." She answered in a hoarse whisper. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a sudden shiver run through her.

"I'll be honest, Sharpay, I'm not sure what I should do." Troy huffed, "Everytime you show up here, it just rips my heart in half again, and shakes up our world. You never even act remorseful! That's the worse part. I truly don't even think you realize what you've done."

"Troy, I know what I did was awful! I was awful..." Sharpay avoided looking in his eyes, staring at the floor instead, "I know I'll never be able to say 'I'm sorry' enough times. I'm not trying to make up for what I've done. But continuing to stick my head in the sand won't do me any good either. I want to be able to move on from the mistakes I've made in the past, and be a constant in Mckenzie's life from here on out."

Troy sighed, and sat down on the couch beside her, neither one of them making eye contact, "You know what I think the hardest thing to accept was, after you left? I had to realize that the girl I'd been so in love with wasn't at all the person I thought she was. I thought you were perfect. But the day you were gone, I realized that you could never have loved me the way I loved you. You aren't even capable."

"But I did Troy! I swear I did." Tears were springing from her eyes, not unlike his own, and she turned to look at him in desperation.

"No you didn't!" He contended, "You couldn't have. And I know that, because the moment I first saw _our _daughter, I fell so deeply in love that I knew there was nothing in this world that would tear me from her. And you willingly walked out on her. If you couldn't feel the way I did about Mckenzie, there's no way you could have felt the way I did about you. No way."

"I love Mckenzie! I loved her from the moment she was born, and I never stopped loving her!" Sharpay insisted, "I never quit loving either of you. Troy I was so young! I was just a dumb, stupid kid. I never got a chance to follow my dream, and I could never get that off my mind. Not during the entire pregnancy, not in the time after she was born, before I left. I mean, it was like my life was suddenly decided and set in stone for me, because of one mistake!"

"I must have asked you a million times before she was born if you were sure this was what you wanted to do!" Troy cried in exasperation.

"I know! But I was scared to tell you how I was feeling. You started to get so excited, and I didn't want you to think I was heartless." Sharpay bit down on her lower lip, knowing she was contradicting herself.

Troy did not choose to let it go either, "Sharpay, if you had told me you weren't sure you were ready to have a child, I wouldn't have thought you were heartless. But insisting you wanted to keep her and raise her with me, and then chosing to walk out on her months after she was born, that was cruel."

Sharpay swallowed, "I know."

"You should have told me." Troy looked at his hands, "Maybe giving her up for adoption would have been the right thing to do. This isn't the life I wanted for her. She deserves to have the perfect family; a father and a mother."

"You said so yourself, nothing could tear you from her." Sharpay pointed out quietly.

"I love Mckenzie so much, and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world." Troy said adamantly, "But that doesn't stop me from questioning if I made the right choice every day of my life."

"You did make the right choice." Sharpay affirmed, "I just made the wrong one."

They sat in silence for a moment, until Troy finally spoke up again, "It's getting late. I think maybe it's time for you to go."

Sharpay nodded mutely, staring at her knees, "Can I see her tomorrow?"

"I have to work tomorrow." Troy sounded irritated again, "Mckenzie has pre-school."

"What about the afternoon?" She persisted.

Troy sighed, "She usually stays in the school's aftercare program until I get off from work. I suppose you can go pick her up, and _bring her directly home_." Troy emphasized the end of his sentence.

Though he did not voice his fears, the hidden meaning was clear: Sharpay had run off before without regard for his feelings, who was to say she wouldn't run off again, this time with Mckenzie in tow?

"Okay." Sharpay nodded heartily, "Thank you."

They both stood up, and she leaned in to hug him, but he stiffened, and moved away.

"I meant what I said when I told you I couldn't forgive what you've done." He reasserted himself, "I'm doing this for Mckenzie. Not for you."

She nodded, biting her lip again and trying to look as if she wasn't bothered. She took a step back, "Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Do you mind if I call you in the afternoon for directions to her school?"

"You shouldn't need them. It's the same place we went when we were kids." He replied.

"Oh." A small smile formed on her lips, "I like that."

Troy remained brittle, his lips formed in a tight line, "Yeah, well, it just happened to be the closest place around."

She looked uncomfortable again, and turned to walk away, "Sweet dreams." She murmured over her shoulder.

"Same to you." Troy responded without emotion, watching her let herself out without another word.

* * *

Troy knelt down on the floor, reaching underneath his bed. He withdrew the picture frame, an action that had at one point been a habit, but was now something he had not done in ages. He had stuffed all other pictures of her in the attic, when he was no longer able to live in a house filled with photos of her.

This was the only one he had kept. It had always been his favorite, and even after she had left he hadn't been able to part with it.

His mother had taken it. He had his arms wrapped around Sharpay from behind, his hands firmly grasping her full belly, where future Mckenzie was curled up inside. She had been irritated with him that entire afternoon, scolding him for making it so difficult to take a decent picture. He had finally come back with a witty remark to cut her down to size, and his mother had caught her smile just as she started to laugh. She was glowing, true to that old saying about expecting mothers, and he had loved her so much in that moment, that he knew he never wanted to be without her.

Troy smiled softly, tracing her smile with his finger. It was so easy to hate what she had become, except when he remembered who she once was.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry it's been so long. I hope you guys understand. RL has been a little busy lately. I promise I'm going to try to update my stories on time. It won't be another two months before you get an update on this. I appreciate y'all continuing to be patient with me. Review! Pretty please. :)**

**xoxo.**


	6. Chapter 6

Sharpay passed by the front office of the school, ignoring the inquisitive stare of the woman behind the front desk. She moved quickly, before she had to be asked by yet another stranger, "Wait, are you...?"

She smiled as she walked into the main room of the pre-school, where the children of all ages were integrated in the afternoons. The room was full of kids, and contrary to what might have been concluded from her past actions, Sharpay liked children. She stopped in front of a teacher's station, where a young blonde woman sat, recording something in a spiral notebook without seeing her.

Sharpay tapped her nails on the front desk, slightly agitated when she wasn't immediately noticed, "Excuse me."

The girl flipped her head up, smiling brightly, "Can I help you?"

She paused for a moment, and then before Sharpay was able to speak, she burst, "You look exactly like this actress... oh what's her name? She's in that romantic comedy that's out right now. It's something really weird..."

"Her name's Sharpay Evans and I am her!" Sharpay snapped, making a face a moment later at her odd phrasing of the sentence. She was insulted that the woman had not known who she was. She was not some B-rated actor whose name should be so easily overlooked. She considered herself a household name.

Trying to recover from her wounded ego, Sharpay reassembled her false smile, but before she was able to talk, the girl interrupted her yet again.

"What are you doing here?" She squealed, "Do you live here?"

Sharpay gave her one hard stare, and shook her head, "No, no, my family does. Anyway, I'm in kind of a hurry. I need to pick up my daughter."

"You're daughter goes here?" The woman looked shocked, as if all this time she had thought she was walking among men, only to find one of them was actually the messiah.

"No she goes to the school across town, I'm just incredibly stupid!" Sharpay snarled.

All enthusiasm and joy quickly fell from the girl's face, and she spoke dejectedly, "Oh. What's your daughter's name?"

"Mckenzie." Sharpay softened her tone, feeling slightly guilty. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

Again, the girl looked with disbelief, "Mckenzie Bolton?"

Sharpay nodded softly.

"But Troy said her mother was dead."

Sharpay's eyes widened to the size of the moon, and her mouth fell open in horror, "He said I was dead?"

The girl slowly nodded, "I noticed he was the only one who ever came to pick her up, and he was listed in our files as a single parent, so I asked him once if he'd ever been married, and he said his wife had passed away."

Sharpay looked appalled, "I live in California, so obviously I'm not in her day to day life as much as he is..." She trailed off, surprised at how embarrassed she felt in front of this stranger. She knew the girl must have quickly been calculating her real story, and the fact that her and Troy's private matters were suddenly exposed to someone she did not even know was startling. The judgement of one more person would be too much to handle.

Ready to get the hell out of there, she decided to cut the twenty-question session short, "Look, I'd really just like to pick up my daughter."

"I'm sorry, but we're not legally allowed to let strangers walk in and take the children out without the consent of their parent." The girl gave Sharpay an apologetic look.

"I am her parent!" Sharpay snapped, her voice insistent, feeling a bit humiliated at this point.

"But you're not listed in our records as her mother. Look, all I have to do is call Troy and get his approval that you're okay to take her home. After that, you'll be able to come pick her up any time you like, without any hassle." The girl intentionally spoke in a serene tone, hoping to calm Sharpay.

"Mckenzie is over in the house center." The girl pointed to the back right of the room, where a little home area was set up, equipped with a pretend kitchen and a doll nursery, "You can go get her, and as soon as I make the phone call, you'll be good to go."

Sharpay swallowed a large lump that had been building in her throat, "Okay."

She walked away from the desk numbly as the woman dialed the telephone. She made her way to the back of the room, smiling as she saw Mckenzie laughing loudly with another little girl her age.

"Mommy!" Mckenzie shouted upon seeing her. She startled Sharpay by running towards her in excitement, completely opposite of her shyness towards her the day before.

"Hey baby." Sharpay knelt down and gave Mckenzie a hug, ashamed that it was an awkward action for her daughter, who again felt lifeless as soon as she had her arms around her.

But when Sharpay stood back up to her full height again, Mckenzie smiled brightly again, and began to babble about her day with enthusiasm.

"I made you a picture!" She exclaimed, and she ran up towards the desk where the blonde woman Sharpay had just spoken to sat, still talking on the phone, but smiling pleasantly.

As they neared the desk, Sharpay heard the girl say, "Thanks Troy. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Miss Karina! Miss Karina!" Mckenzie called out to the woman, slowing when she reached the desk.

The woman smiled, "Hey Kenz!"

"Do you have my picture from earlier?" Mckenzie asked with urgency.

"I sure do. Right here." Her teacher opened a drawer and pulled out the illustration, handing it down to the little girl.

Mckenzie smiled proudly and held the picture out for Sharpay to see.

"That's you, that's me, and that's Daddy." She explained, pointing to a crayon drawing of three different figures holding hands, "And that's the dog Daddy won't let me have." She pointed to a round animal at the bottom corner of the drawing, fully equipped with six legs.

Sharpay smiled and took the picture, "It's great."

Mckenzie beamed with pride.

"I just called Troy and he said you're good to go." The woman said to Sharpay. Afterwards, her face contorted with slight confusion once more, visibly rolling over questions in her head it wouldn't be appropriate for her to ask. Sharpay noticed this, and decided it was high time to leave, to save any more interrogation, in front of her daughter no less.

"Thank you." Sharpay nodded and tried to smile, grabbing Mckenzie's hand, and leading her away from the desk, "See you later."

"Bye Kenz." The woman smiled and waved at the little girl who mimicked the action, and followed after her mother.

* * *

Sharpay walked let herself in through the front door using the spare key under the mat. Mckenzie followed in pursuit, throwing her bookbag down on the floor as soon as she had entered her home.

She looked up at Sharpay with her baby blue eyes, "Can I go play outside?"

"Sure." Sharpay nodded uncertainly, "Do you want me to go with you?"

Mckenzie nodded, "You can watch me rollerskate."

"Okay." Sharpay held Mckenzie's drawing from earlier in her hand, and she glanced down at it, "I'm going to hang this up on the fridge and then I'll come out, okay?"

Mckenzie nodded in agreement and ran back out the front door. Sharpay smiled, and walked into the kitchen. She realized the refrigerator was not decorated, but she was able to find a few free magnets on the side of it, and she used one to hang up the drawing.

Walking outside, she found Mckenzie, a rollerskate on each foot, both untied.

"Daddy's been teaching me how to tie my shoes, but I'm still having trouble." Mckenzie explained, "Can you help me?" She kicked one of her feet in the air, offering Sharpay the skate.

"Sure." Sharpay knelt down and laced up her skates, shaking her feet when she was finished, "You're good to go."

"Thanks." Mckenzie tried to stand, and Sharpay grabbed her hands, helping her wobble to her feet.

As Mckenzie began to skate in circles around the driveway, Sharpay sat down on the front porch steps, the afternoon sun warming her face pleasantly, as she watched her daughter. She must have been six inches shorter the last time she had seen her. Was it possible for a child to grow that much in a year. She shook her head softly. No, but it certainly seemed that way. Sharpay felt another dose of daily guilt coming on, and she frowned, wrapping her arms around herself, and leaning against the porch rail. She'd missed so much. She was suddenly overcome with a desperate need to rewind, to watch her daughter first-hand grow from a baby to a toddler, to the child she was now. She wanted to have been there, to know all the things about her own child that were a mystery to her now, and to hug or kiss her daughter whenever she wanted without it being foreign or uncomfortable to either of them.

But Troy was right. She couldn't take back what she'd done. She'd never be there to see her daughter take her first steps or begin to talk. She'd never be able to teach her how to read, or how to rollerskate for that matter, something she was doing effortlessly now. She'd never be there to see her off on her first day of pre-school or to tuck her in every night of the years she'd been gone. It was too late.

* * *

Troy pulled his car into the driveway, surprised to find Sharpay and Mckenzie both outside. Sharpay was grasping both of Mckenzie's hands, swinging her around in circles on skates, while Mckenzie giggled wildly. Even Sharpay was laughing, and Troy tried for a moment to figure out why that seemed so out of place.

Because she had not laughed around him in so long. The few times she'd seen him had been very serious, and quite honestly, very unpleasant matters, and he'd certainly never said anything humourous to her. He had not heard her laugh in nearly four years, and stepping out of the car, he realized he'd missed it.

She didn't exactly have a musical laugh. It wasn't perfect or graceful. But that was why he had always loved it. Her laugh was the most honest thing about her. She laughed loudly, almost cackling, in a way that was always able to make Troy laugh himself, even if he'd missed the joke.

Troy found himself biting back a smile at the sound of it again, but then remembered the worry she'd put him through for the past couple of hours, and his face fell serious again.

"Hey." Troy walked up to the two, his tone grave enough to stop their giggling.

"Hey Troy." Sharpay let Mckenzie go, and smoothed down the sides of her blouse, smiling at him.

"Why didn't you call me when you got here?" Troy asked.

Sharpay looked confused, and shifted her eyes to the side for a moment, "You never asked me to call you."

"I assumed you weren't an idiot." Troy replied, and Mckenzie's smile now fell completely as well, "You should have let me know you brought her home safely. I tried to call the house several times but you never answered."

Sharpay swallowed, "I'm sorry. We've been playing outside all afternoon."

Troy knew he was acting like a prick, and when he noticed Mckenzie giving him the same anxious look Sharpay was, he decided to tone it down, at least for his daughter's sake.

"It's okay." Troy relented, "Just call next time so I know you're both alright."

Sharpay couldn't help but smile to herself at his unintentional, but promising use of the phrase, 'Next time.' At least she wasn't being kicked out of their lives just yet.

All three of them walked into the house, and Troy addressed Mckenzie, "Did you have a good day at school?"

Mckenzie nodded, "Mommy came and picked me up."

"I know." Troy knelt down and gave her a hug, kissing her forehead. Sharpay felt a pang of jealousy as Mckenzie easily hugged her father back, not looking uncomfortable in the least bit.

"I drew this picture." Mckenzie proudly gestured to the drawing hung on the fridge.

Troy squinted at it, realizing with a sinking feeling in his stomach what it was.

"That's you, Mommy, and me." Mckenzie smiled, pointing to the picture.

"Oh. All three of us." Troy's voice sounded tight, and while Mckenzie did not notice, Sharpay did.

"Kenz, I'm going to start dinner soon. You wanna go watch TV while Mommy and I talk?" Troy asked.

"I want to stay here and talk with you." Mckenzie answered, scowling at her sudden exclusion.

"We need to have a little bit of grown up time." Troy used the phrase Mckenzie hated the most, and she huffed, not saying another word to Troy, but storming out of the kitchen angrily.

"Thanks for taking the liberty to redecorate without my permission." Troy said, somewhat casually, but still the comment itself remained unfriendly.

Sharpay looked confused for a moment, and then she looked up at Troy, "Are you talking about the drawing on the fridge?"

Troy shrugged, truthfully regretting having mentioned it.

"Your daughter drew it! I didn't think you'd mind." Sharpay shook her head in disbelief, "Is it just the fact that _I _was the one to hang it up?"

Troy stared at the counter, "It's just it has all three of us..."

"Oh." Sharpay cast her eyes down too, "So I met Mckenzie's teacher today."

"So I heard." Troy replied, referencing the phone call he had recieved earlier.

"You told her I was dead?" Sharpay tried to mask her abhorance, but it still came through, even while speaking in as soft a tone as she could manage.

Troy shrugged, "It was a lot easier than giving her the real story."

"So you just killed me off?" Sharpay didn't seem to want to let the matter go.

"Do you really think me telling her the truth would have been more flattering for you?" Troy exclaimed, baffled, "Do you know how many people ask me on a day-to-day basis about Mckenzie's absent mother? I try to avoid telling the real story, because in all honesty, the pity is worse when I do. It makes me feel like a total loser, and I can always see them rolling questions over in their minds, about what I must have done to drive the mother of my child away. If I say you died four years ago, they say something sympathetic, and never mention you again."

Sharpay frowned down at the countertop, silent for a moment, "I'm sorry Troy." She murmured softly.

"Yeah, well..." Troy trailed off.

After a moment he spoke again, "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but given the way last night went, I think it might be best if you leave before dinner. I want to make sure Mckenzie actually eats something."

"Oh. Okay." Sharpay was visibly hurt, but she didn't protest, not wanting to fight again.

"I don't mean you have to leave right now." Troy quickly added in.

Sharpay nodded softly.

"I'm going to go carry her stuff upstairs real quick, I noticed it was still by the stairs." Troy said, "I'll be right back down."

"Actually!" Sharpay started, and Troy turned to look back at her.

"Do you mind if I go with you?" She asked, "I'd kind of like to see her room."

Troy nodded mutely and Sharpay followed him through the living room, where Mckenzie sat on the couch, to engrossed in the television to notice them.

Troy picked up Mckenzie's things and walked up the stairs, Sharpay one step behind him.

"Well, this is it." Troy set Mckenzie's bags down in the corner of the room.

Sharpay walked to the bed, and ran her hand gently over the white comforter, "I always wanted to decorate a little girl's room."

"Yeah, well this one probablly has a little less pink than you would imagine." Troy said softly.

All the furniture in the room was white, as were the walls, display dolls and a few framed photos being the main source of color contrast.

Sharpay took notice of one of the hanging frames, and stepped towards it to further examine it, "That's me."

It was, though it wasn't a personal photo, but rather a Vogue magazine cover, of a stunning, albeit airbrushed picture of Sharpay in a gorgeous Dior gown.

"Yeah." Troy replied, "That was Mckenzie's favorite picture of you. She kept asking to hang it up on her wall, so I had it framed."

Sharpay continued to stare at it.

"There's an entire box full of photos of you over there." Troy gestured to a lavender colored storage box on the other side of the room.

"Really?" Sharpay walked over to it, curious, and opened the lid, staring down at a box full of pictures of her. But they were all magazine cutouts, every single one. Sharpay reached into the box, and ran her hands through them, lifting stacks of them up, and watching the pictures of herself grow older.

It took her and Troy both a moment to realize she was crying. Slowly, though, she began to shake, until she let all of the photos fall from her hands, and began to sob, tears falling down her face rapidly, bringing buckets of mascara along.

Before he thought better of it, Troy was kneeling down beside her on the floor, wrapping his arms around her. There wasn't anything comforting for him to say. He couldn't say, 'It's okay,' because it wasn't. He couldn't tell her everything would be alright because he highly doubted that was true either.

But even still, he held her to him while she cried into his chest. Somewhere inside, he thought to himself that he had to be a weaker man because of it, still unable to repress all feeling for her.

And with that thought, he gently pushed her off of him, standing up and walking out of the room, allowing her to cry in peace, alone.

* * *

**A/N: I came through on the quicker update this time. :)**

**I'll kick off the grande finale of Hidden Love asap. **

**What did you think? I surprised myself when writing this. I sympathized with Sharpay a lot more in this chapter than I thought I was going to starting out. **

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I tried to reply to everybody, and I'm pretty sure I did. :)**

**Please review again. :)**

**xoxo.**


	7. Chapter 7

Sharpay licked her fingers while staring into the silver mounted mirror in her daughter's room. She ran her index fingers underneath her eyes, trying to remove the black mascara residue left on her face from her crying. She felt another after tremor shake her body, and she gripped her hands to her elbows, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

'I bet Troy wouldn't think I was beautiful now.'

It was the first thought that came to mind while she examined the splotched puffy face and red eyes that glared back at her through the glass. She sniffled one more time and turned away, exiting the bedroom. She had no idea how long she had been in there since Troy left her on her own, but the loneliness had begun to feel eerie.

Stepping out into the hallway, and feeling so uncomfortable and out of place, it was hard to believe that this had once been her home as well. She and Troy had spent countless hours here, cuddling on the couch watching old movies, failing at numerous efforts to cook a decent meal, making love in the evenings, and having long talks in bed at night, when she shared with him all of her most intimate thoughts and feelings.

She tried to swallow, but it stuck in her swollen throat, and she slowly descended the stairs, hoping Troy was still feeling humane when she reached the bottom.

"He's going to want to check to see if he has a milk mustache. Then he'll realize he needs a haircut. So he's going to ask you for some scissors. After he's finished, he'll want to clean up, so he'll ask you for a broom. He may get carried away and clean the whole house."

Sharpay smiled softly as she walked into the living room, to find Troy sitting on the sofa next to Mckenzie, reading a book aloud to her.

Mckenzie looked up and noticed her, interrupting Troy in order to greet Sharpay with a, "Hey!"

Sharpay gave a soft wave.

"Hey." Troy said softly, closing the book and setting it down, "You all right?"

Sharpay nodded, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to have a breakdown."

"What's a breakdown?" Mckenzie piped in, tugging Troy's arm with urgency.

Troy glanced to the side at his daughter, "It's when somebody gets upset."

Mckenzie's eyes widened with utmost concern as she turned to Sharpay, "Why are you upset?"

"I'm not now." Sharpay answered reassuringly, "Everything's okay."

Mckenzie didn't seem so sure, and she looked back at Troy with distress, silently urging him to do something with her eyes.

"It's okay 'Kenz, don't worry. Everyone gets upset sometimes, including Sha- Mommy." Troy kissed the top of his daughter's head.

She still did not look too sure, and she glanced back at Sharpay, looking for any signs to contradict Troy.

Sharpay looked wistfully on at the father and daughter sitting together. Both were nestled on the love-seat, and she knew she would only make things uncomfortable if she attempted to sit beside them. She imagined herself snuggled against Troy, Mckenzie between them, in a world where that would be a normal afternoon scene.

She sat down on the other couch, and stared ahead, hoping Troy would speak to her again before making her leave.

Troy looked back at her, uncomfortable, and cleared his throat, "I guess I better start with dinner now."

Sharpay felt her heart sink. That was her cue to leave. Troy stood up and walked towards the kitchen, and she quickly followed after him.

"I guess you want me to go now?" She asked, in the back of her mind hoping he had changed his mind and would let her stay.

"I think that would be best." Troy answered, feeling slightly guilty despite himself.

"What about tomorrow?" Sharpay asked.

"What about it?"

He opened the fridge and began to rumage through the food, pretending as if he were considering what to cook, but really just needing a reason to not look at her face. There was still evidence of her crying spell earlier, and he knew if he saw her looking so pitiful and miserable, he'd have her in his arms again, feeling just as pathetic as he had earlier, upstairs in Mckenzie's room.

"Can I see her?" Her voice cracked, and Troy winced, fighting back sympathy and urges.

"Please. Don't cry again." Troy managed the words through a clenched jaw, and he stood up to his full height, closing the refrigerator door with no food in his hands.

He still would not look at her.

"I'm not going to cry Troy. I'm sorry for earlier." She stared straight at him while she spoke, hating that he would not do her the same courtesy, "Could I pick her up again tomorrow afternoon?"

"Fine." Troy finally looked up and met her eye to eye, relieving her.

"Troy?"

He sighed loudly, "Yes?"

"I miss you." It was the truth. She knew he would probably be angry with her for mentioning it, but she felt like she had to say something.

His mouth hung open in shock, surprised she'd be so brazen as to say that after he'd made it so clear he wanted nothing to do with her any longer. He watched her take a dangerous step closer to him, and gulped, glancing back and forth in panic.

"Maybe we could get together, to catch up, and-"

"No." Troy's voice was stony, and she stopped, looking dumbfounded.

"You didn't let me finish." For the first time, she was the one who sounded angry, and this startled Troy, but he didn't relent.

"I told you, I want nothing to do with you. Not now. You're here for Mckenzie, and I'll try to be civil with you for that reason only. But you and I have no reason to be alone together." Troy felt his hands trembling, but he managed to keep his voice steady.

"Come on, Troy. You can't stay mad at me forever," She took another step forward, "I'm still your wife."

She took one more step, and was now only inches away from him, while he breathed heavily out of his nose, feeling his forehead begin to perspire.

"You still love me." She sounded almost smug, knowing she had found the exact words to hang over his head, and he reeled in anger, wondering why she was so damn insistent.

"Stop!" He snapped, "I'm not going to let you manipulate me."

He locked his jaw steadfast, and did his best not to shake as he stared straight into her eyes and said, "I don't love you anymore."

Sharpay's confidence visibly broke, though she tried her best not to show it.

"That's a lie." She said adamantly, but Troy shook his head.

"No it's not. Every time I look at you I see the girl that walked out on my daughter. That's all I'll ever see." Troy narrowed his eyes, "And I don't love that girl."

Sharpay clasped her hands together against her chest and shrunk back.

"Do you hate me Troy?" She asked quietly, all previous signs of sureness gone. She hadn't thought it was possible that he could ever stop loving her. She didn't want to believe it, even now, after she had been distanced from him for so long.

Troy felt the anger drop from his face, now that she was no longer battling him for an upperhand. She was huddled away from him now, defeated, and he found himself again biting back unwarranted guilt.

"No." He answered, his voice softened, "Because when I look at you, I also see the mother of my child. I could never hate you Sharpay."

Sharpay swallowed, and nodded slowly, "Okay then."

She was silent for a moment longer, knowing he was waiting for her to leave. After hesitating a couple of times, she spoke up once more.

"Can I ask you one question?"

Troy's nostrils flared, "What?"

"When did you know? I mean, that you didn't love me anymore." She desperately tried to catch his eye, but once again he had reverted to staring at an unknown spot on the floor.

Troy faltered, searching for an answer to an impossible question, and finally said, "The day you walked out the door."

"Oh." Sharpay let her hands fall to her side, her entire body feeling as though it were made of steel. She didn't feel as if she were capable of movement.

"My mother always told me you would know you'd stopped loving a person the first time you went a whole day without thinking about them."

She shrugged, fighting back a fresh batch of tears, hoping they would hold off until she had at least made it out of his house, "But I guess what I did was so terrible, it made me an exception to the rule."

Troy stared blankly ahead. After he said nothing else, she turned and walked out of the room, not bothering to say goodbye. He was unable to break his gaze, even after she had left the room, and he heard the sound of the front door opening, then shutting.

A single day still never went by when he didn't think of her.

* * *

"Shit!"

Mckenzie gasped loudly, her mouth forming into a delighted O shape, "You said a bad word!"

"I'm sorry." Sharpay managed to squeak, holding her wounded hand, and hissing as she tried to ignore the pain.

She was preparing Mckenzie an afternoon snack, and she had just found out the hard way that holding an apple to your palm, while bringing a steak knife down into it with the other hand, was not the most effective way to slice an apple.

She opened her palm to examine the damage, and was met with a deep gnash, bleeding profusely.

"Ow, ow, ow!" She cried.

Mckenzie's joyful expression at hearing an adult cursed now formed into one of fright, "Are you all right?"

Sharpay nodded, "Yeah. Here let me finish slicing this."

She set the apple down on the counter now, and using her one good hand, began to saw into it.

"I don't think that's how Daddy does it." Mckenzie warned, seated and waiting at the kitchen table.

"Well Daddy's not here at the moment to show me how to do it right." Sharpay replied, her voice still tight and unnatural due to the pain.

Right on cue, the sound of the front door opening was heard, and a moment later Troy walked into the kitchen to find them.

Troy zoomed right in on the apple, and he stepped forward.

"You should use a cutting board for that, and that's not the right knife." He informed Sharpay, taking the knife from her and dropping it into the sink.

He looked down at the mutilated apple on the counter, and then noticed something else.

"What's this?" He pointed to several drops of blood.

"I cut my hand with the knife." She explained.

"Let me see it." Troy reached forward, and Sharpay clenched her hand into a fist.

"No!" She protested, trying in vain to pull her hand away from him.

Troy chuckled, as he tried to pry her fingers open, "Let me see it. Is it bad?"

Sharpay relented, and uncurled her hand, wincing in pain.

"Hey you cut it pretty deep. Here." Troy let go of her for a moment, opening a nearby drawer and withdrawing a dish towel. He turned on the faucet, and ran the towel under warm water, before wringing it out, and holding Sharpay's hand again. He pressed the towel into her palm, even when she cried out in protest.

"Keep applying pressure to it so you don't loose blood." He instructed.

He couldn't help but smile as he looked back at the mess she had made out of the simplest task.

"You're a disaster." He commented.

She smiled, "Hey! I remember a time when you caught the kitchen wall on fire trying to make grilled cheese!"

"At least I was trying to use the stove." Troy shot back, "And as I recall I made that grilled cheese for you, to satisfy a pregnancy craving."

"Right, it had a very satisfying charcoal taste." She giggled, happy not only to be reminiscing, but to actually be having a pleasant conversation with Troy, even if it was brief.

Troy smiled too for a moment, but as she feared, his expression slowly morphed, and he looked on solemnly once again.

"I have a question to ask you." He said a moment later, once the atmosphere had returned to its appropriate seriousness.

He glanced over at Mckenzie, "Let me fix her a snack first, and then we can go to the living room to talk."

A couple of minutes later, once Mckenzie was happily munching on goldfish in the kitchen, Troy and Sharpay sat down on the couch.

"Would you maybe like to stay here tomorrow night and watch her yourself?" Troy asked her, "I have plans, and normally she would go to my parents, or your parents or brother. But since you've been watching her the past couple afternoons, I thought..."

"Sure!" Sharpay nodded eagerly, "What are the big plans?"

"Huh?" Troy asked.

"What do you have planned tomorrow?" She asked again, still smiling, in an effort to keep things as pleasant as they had been a few moments before.

"Oh." Troy cleared his throat, "I kind of have a date."

"A date?" All traces of a smile were gone from Sharpay's face in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah." Troy nodded.

"Is this an intentional effort to hurt me?" She asked, glaring at him.

"No..." Troy trailed off, "If anything, it's to keep you from hurting me."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"You know what it means Sharpay. You're already doing it." He sighed, "I don't know what all exactly you came back here for, but if your plans include us getting back together, I need to put them to rest now. I didn't like the way you told me that I was still in love with you yesterday."

"So, what, you're going on a date to prove a point to me?" Sharpay scoffed.

"No. Honestly, it just sort of happened. But I admit I might not have said yes if I didn't need a distraction from you."

"Wait. Some girl asked you out?" Sharpay felt her veins surge with a primitive territoriality.

"Yeah." Troy purposefully neglected to say more than was necessary.

"She must be desperate." Sharpay shot.

Troy gritted his teeth, "Or maybe she just likes me."

"I liked you, and I never asked you out on a date." She pointed out.

Troy smirked, "You practically threw yourself on me the minute you found out I'd broken up with Gabriella. You didn't have to ask me out."

"Whatever." Sharpay, snapped.

After a moment, she asked, "So where did you meet the lucky lady?"

Troy sighed, irritated she wouldn't just let the issue go, but he answered her, "She's actually one of Mckenzie's teachers."

Sharpay's jaw dropped, "Not the blonde!"

Troy shrugged.

"She didn't even know my name!" She exclaimed.

"All the more reason to go out with her." Troy replied dryly.

Sharpay grew silent, letting her body slump back against the couch, "Whatever." She mumbled under her breath.

Troy sighed, noticing she had let the towel drop.

"You're bleeding on my couch."

____

* * *

_"Oh no! What did you do?" Troy laughed, waving his hand high in an effort to turn off the smoke alarm._

_He looked at the burnt dinner she was lifting out of the stove, coughing heavily as ribbons of smoke assaulted her face. _

_She turned to look at him, her cheeks red with embarrassment, and he watched her expression give way to tears._

_"Hey!" Troy rushed over to her, cursing pregnancy hormones in the back of his mind, and wrapped his arms around her._

_"No, don't cry." He whispered, rubbing her back gently._

_"This kid is going to starve!" She cried, "I can't cook Troy."_

_Troy kissed the top of her head, "You've got plenty of time to figure out how, and if not, we can always live on take out. I was craving chinese tonight anyway." _

_Sharpay stomped her foot, clearly not appeased, "I don't want chinese again!" _

_"Pizza?" Troy offered instead._

_"No!" Sharpay's tears started again, "I don't want chinese. I don't want pizza. I don't want sushi. I want something homemade out of my own kitchen. We can't raise a child on fast food!"_

_"Okay. Okay." Troy stepped forward and hugged her again, "We won't. Give me your apron."_

_"Huh?" Sharpay glanced down at the pink apron she wore, something she had bought for herself in hopes that looking the part of a good cook would actually make her into one. _

_"Hand it over." Troy held out his hand, "I'm going to cook tonight."_

_"You?" She asked dubiously._

_Troy nodded, "You're not going to have to worry about it, because I'm going to learn to cook."_

_Sharpay untied her apron and handed it over to him, giggling when he tied the pink fabric around his neck and waist. _

_Troy surveyed the mess on the stove, and then squinted down at the recipe in the cookbook Sharpay had laid out._

_A moment later he glanced back at her, "Okay. We may want to order take out tonight as a plan B, because I have a pretty good feeling I'm going to mess this up. But I promise you, by the time that baby comes I'll be a world class chef."_

_Sharpay nodded, sniffling, and leaned in to hug him, "Thank you Troy. You're going to be a great Daddy."_

_Troy smiled and placed an affectionate kiss on her lips, "You'll be a great mother too Sharpay. I know it."_

_

* * *

_

****

A/N: I think I should get brownie points for how often I've been updating as of recently.

So, I actually wrote my college essay on Ashley Tisdale. My theory was if it didn't make me look retarded it would make me stand out. And it worked, because I got into nyu, which is like my dream school, and which means I will finally be getting out of the small town south.

All goes to show, this fanfic writing isn't for nothing.

And Ashley Tisdale is the shit.

xoxo.


	8. Chapter 8

Ryan sighed, grabbing a beer from his fridge while Sharpay sat at the kitchen table rattling off about the day's earlier events. He snapped the cap off on the counter, and ran a hand through his hair. She had been staying with him since she arrived in Albuquerque. She had mostly kept to herself for the past couple of days, but she was gradually starting to feel comfortable around him again, and tonight she had finally been letting loose.

"So I'm back for two days, and suddenly he's all over this incredibly stupid girl who's one of Mckenzie's teachers, even though if he really liked her he wouldn't be waiting until now to ask her out. I mean he sees her every single afternoon. It's like it's all just to make a point to me."

"Am I supposed to sympathize with you?" Ryan sat down at the table across from where his sister was already seated.

"You could listen to me vent at least and bite your tongue until I'm through." Sharpay glanced hopefully up at him, truthfully wishing for at least a little sympathy, even though his tone suggested he was willing to offer her anything but.

"Fine. So you're complaining about how the husband you walked out on three and a half years ago hasn't put his entire life on hold for you." Ryan looked pointedly at Sharpay, who lowered her eyes to the table guiltily.

"I think enough time has passed that it's all right for him to date again." He added.

"Oh shut up Ryan!" Sharpay pushed her chair back from the table to give herself enough room to cross her arms, an accompaniment to her sudden haughty pout.

"What?" He shook his head, "You're angry because you know I'm right."

"No, I'm upset that I can't get anybody to even give me a chance to talk about how I feel. I did a horrible, awful thing, but that doesn't mean I'm emotionless. I've known Troy was angry with me. The few times I came back to visit he barely said a word to me. But I guess I somehow got it in my head that when I returned things would go back to normal. I've never seen this side of him before. He used to worship me, and now he treats me like I'm the scum of the earth." Sharpay slowly uncrossed her arms, "It's just a little shocking."

Ryan was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful before speaking, "Maybe Troy's feelings aren't really the ones you should be focusing on."

Sharpay looked up in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"You have a really great kid..."

"I know that." Sharpay cut him off in an austere manner, one that showed she was getting defensive, "I love my daughter."

"Do you?" Ryan couldn't help but ask the question, avoiding her gaze immediately after, knowing it would be fierce.

"Of course!" The words were insistent, followed by her quietly muttering, "I never stopped."

"I don't know why you did what you did Sharpay. But I know that if you want to even attempt to make things right, you should start focusing all of your time on Mckenzie." Ryan hesitated, but continued, "You know, you're not in high school anymore."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sharpay's face had twisted up into a combination of anger, confusion, and shame, and she sat motionless in her chair, staring at her brother's fidgeting hands.

"Just... this isn't a game. I honestly don't know how you would think that you could just come home and everything would be all right again. You had a child with Troy. That changes things." Ryan sighed and reached forward, grabbing one of Sharpay's hands, "I know what you're trying to do. But you have to stop. His life stopped revolving around you the day it started revolving around his daughter, and that's not going to change."

"But I'm the mother of his child." Sharpay stated weakly.

"Technically." Ryan muttered.

Sharpay swallowed, and tentatively asked, "Do you think I'm a terrible person Ryan?"

Ryan sighed, "I've never thought you were a terrible person. But you certainly are capable of some terrible things."

* * *

Troy opened the door, huffing, quickly turning away from Sharpay once she greeted him with a smile and a "Hey."

She frowned as he walked away from her, leaving the door open, but she reluctantly walked in the house herself, shutting the door behind her. She followed him back into the kitchen, where Mckenzie was seated on the counter, while Troy placed a large bandaid on her knee.

"What happened?" Sharpay stepped into the room.

"She scraped her knee falling off her bike." Troy answered, picking Mckenzie up off the counter.

He turned to Sharpay, "It's no big deal. I'm just trying to get ready."

She nodded, and reached her arms out, in an offer to take Mckenzie from him. Troy stared at her outstretched arms for a moment, and then set Mckenzie down on the ground instead. As Mckenzie ran out of the room to go back outside, Sharpay slowly let her arms drop to her sides once again, trying not to feel too hurt by the action.

"I can watch her while you finish getting ready." Sharpay offered him a smile.

"Thanks. She's actually supposed to be here in another fifteen minutes." Troy tried to move past Sharpay, who frowned, blocking his path.

"She's coming _here_?" She raised her eyebrows.

Troy shrugged in response, "She knows I have Mckenzie, and I wouldn't be able to leave until the babysitter got here, so she offered to meet me here to make things easy."

Sharpay stared at Troy with a pained look, now completely preoccupied with something else entirely.

"The babysitter?" She asked, clearly hurt.

Troy ran a hand through his hair, "Come on, you know what I meant. I didn't mean to say it; It just came out."

"I'm her mother." Sharpay stared down at her feet, "I know I can't be mad at you for not thinking of me that way. But I did carry her around for nine months. I gave birth to her."

"You did do that." Troy sighed, "I didn't mean to say babysitter. I'm sorry."

"You should go get ready." Her efforts at a smile were a little more forced this time, but she managed, and Troy nodded, exiting the room, though somewhat reluctantly.

Sharpay slowly walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, where the front door to the home was located. She stepped outside, and Mckenzie immediately came running towards her.

"Hi!" Sharpay smiled, sitting down on the porch steps while the four year old jumped up beside her.

"Hey." Mckenzie smiled, sitting down beside Sharpay, trying her best to copy her position.

"Daddy lets me stay up all night on Fridays." The little girl informed her matter of factly.

Sharpay smiled softly, remembering how as a child she had tried similar tricks on those unfortunate enough to be left in charge of her on nights when her parents were out. This led Sharpay to frown a minute later however, her own thoughts leading back to Troy's 'babysitter' slip-up. If Mckenzie thought of her as a true parent, she wouldn't be trying to fool her with fabricated rules.

Mckenzie yawned softly when Sharpay said nothing, and inched herself closer to her mother.

"Will you read me books tonight?" She asked, softly nudging her head against Sharpay's arm.

"Sure." Sharpay smiled, her heart soaring from the small act of physical affection her daughter was showing by leaning up against her.

While she sat smiling to herself, a silver compact car, definitely several years old, came rolling down the street, and parked against the curb in front of the house.

"Oh great." Sharpay mumbled flatly, "She's early."

"Who is?" Mckenzie squinted down to the car in confusion, "Whose that?"

"One second baby." Sharpay replied, ignoring Mckenzie's questions and instead standing up fully.

She walked back in the house, hearing the sound of a car door slam just as she shoved the front door open.

"Your bimbo's here." She called up to Troy.

It took less than ten seconds for Troy to come dashing down the stairs looking horrified. After taking a few frantic looks around the living room his face relaxed again.

"I thought you said that right in front of her." He explained to Sharpay, who responded with a careless shrug.

"I'm going to ask her inside for a couple of minutes while I get you and Mckenzie squared away, okay? Please be nice." He pleaded.

Sharpay responded with an eye roll, and shook her head slowly a few times.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Troy muttered, walking outside and leaving her in the house alone.

Sharpay sighed and walked further into the living room, sitting down on the couch and waiting while a heavy sense of dread slowly settled in the bottom of her stomach.

A second later, Troy, Karina, and Mckenzie all walked in the house together, and Sharpay immediately noticed the confusion written on the little girl's face. Seeing your teachers outside of school was always odd when you were that young, when it never occured to you that they had lives beyond the classroom. But seeing your teacher in you own home on the weekends was an even bigger shock.

As the three stepped into the living room, Troy gestured towards Sharpay awkwardly.

"Um, I believe you met Mckenzie's mother." He continued with the uncomfortable introduction anyway, "This is Sharpay, and Sharpay, this is Karina, the teacher from Mckenzie's school."

"I know who she is." Sharpay replied flatly, ignoring Karina's attempts at a smile and allowing her own frown to remain comfortable on her face.

"Okay." Troy clasped his hands, staring down at Sharpay where she was seated on the couch, "It's Friday, so Mckenzie can stay up a little later than usual but I still try to have her in bed around ten."

He glanced down at his daughter who was now widening her blue eyes and staring up at him with a pleading smile.

"But, she usually asks to stay up another hour, and I'm weak so I usually say yes."

Sharpay smiled, "Okay. In bed at eleven."

"If she wants to watch a movie, or if she wants you to read to her, Mckenzie knows where all that stuff is. Anyway, I guess we're going to head out now..." Troy made a gesture with his thumb pointing back to the front door.

"What about dinner? Has she eaten?" Sharpay asked.

Troy winced, "I forgot about that."

He thought for a moment, knowing it was nearly impossible for Sharpay to boil water, much less cook a meal that a picky four year old would swallow, "Just order a pizza."

Sharpay made a face at the thought of consuming such a greasy, calorie loaded meal, only days after she had eaten heavy pasta.

Troy quickly caught sight of the look, and snapped, "Or just make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I don't care. Just don't split you hand open with the knife again."

Sharpay scowled, and quietly muttered, "Fine."

Troy bent down and wrapped his arms around Mckenzie, "Be good for Mommy, okay? I'll be home in a few hours."

Mckenzie responded with a nod and a kiss on the cheek, and Sharpay felt another wave of jealously course through her, wishing she were able to hug her daughter and get the same response.

Troy stood up to his full height, and glanced back at Sharpay, "See you in a little bit."

"Bye." Karina chirped in softly, sensing Sharpay's hostility towards her, and afraid to say anymore.

Sharpay responded with a small, unhappy wave, feeling as though a part of her life was officialy over once as soon as he walked out the door.

* * *

"So, you were married to a movie star. Are there any other secrets you've kept hidden? You're not a super hero are you?"

Troy tried to smile at his date's small jokes, and softly shook his head.

"No, Sharpay's my only connection to anything glamorous."

"So why'd you kill her?" Karina smiled softly, taking a sip of wine.

Troy cleared his throat, "She wasn't ever around anyway. It was just easier to say she died."

"Oh..." It was clear the conversation had taken a serious turn, and Karina responded with a sad smile, "It's funny how people like that can be idolized and made to look so perfect. I guess some of them don't turn into very nice people."

"I guess she wasn't ever very nice to start with." Troy sighed softly. A large part of him was hoping she would drop the subject. He didn't ask her out on a date so that he could spend all night talking about the person he was trying to distract himself from.

But in a way, it was also nice to have someone to talk about Sharpay to so freely. After she had left, all of his family and friends rarely even dared to mention her name, and it was kind of nice to have a chance to talk about her to an outsider.

"So why did you marry her?"

Troy raised his head, surprised, "What do you mean?"

"If she's such a bitch, then why choose to be with her for the rest of your life?" Karina shrugged, and Troy couldn't help but smile softly at her boldness.

"Well... She does have some redeeming qualities. She wasn't completely heartless I guess. She could actually be really sweet, when she wanted to be. She made me laugh a lot. And she's really smart. A lot of people don't think so when they meet her. I guess she's so self-absorbed, they just assume she's vapid, but she's not. She's a very determined person. Anything she sets her mind to she'll achieve, no matter... the lengths... she goes to get it."

Troy trailed off, and he stared at Karina thoughtfully, "But you're right about people being fooled, and buying into fantasized idols. You don't want to be anything like her. She's got a list of personality flaws a mile long, and I've finally realized she can't be fixed. I guess the real reason I _married _Sharpay was because she got pregnant. And there really isn't any more to it than that."

* * *

"Sharpay?" Troy called softly as he walked up the stairs of the still house, careful not to be too loud, not wanting to wake Mckenzie.

"Shar-" He stopped as he reached the top of the stairs, spotting the two of them through Mckenzie's open bedroom door.

He walked softly into the room, finding them both asleep on the bed. Mckenzie was snuggled under the covers, while Sharpay was sprawled out on top of them, her head curled in towards her daughter, and a book spread open face down beside her limp hand.

He couldn't help but smile affectionately at the sight, and despite the rule he had established, insisting Sharpay go home at night, he reached down and pulled the covers back, gently lifting her legs and placing her under them.

She stirred, and he held his breath until she stilled again.

Just as he started to turn to leave the room, she lifted her head up, squinting to adjust her eyes to the light.

"Troy?"

He reached for the light switch and turned it off before replying.

"Yeah. I'm home. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

She softly mumbled something uncomprehendable, her eyes already shut again as she quickly drifted back to sleep.

Troy lingered in the doorway for just a minute longer, staring at the two wistfully, and wondering how things might have been.

* * *

**A/N: I know I fell off the radar again, and I'm really sorry. Real life gets pretty busy, and I hope y'all understand. Please keep reading and reviewing, and patiently waiting for my next update. I keep saying that I'll try to update faster, and while at times I may come through, I know it's inconsistent, and I'm sorry for that too. **

**How did everyone like the Sharpay movie? It kind of felt like more of a stand on its own movie rather than a sequel to the others, but I'm glad she got a happy ending. And it was interesting to see her as the leading role. (Although she's still my favorite antagonist.) **

**Please review. I haven't updated in so long and I've missed having them in my inbox. **

**xoxo. **


	9. Chapter 9

Troy woke up the next morning to the sound of dishes clinking downstairs. He blinked heavily for a moment, surprised Mckenzie had gone into the kitchen to attempt to make breakfast herself instead of waking him up like she normally did on the rare occasions she was up before him. Then the memory of the night before flooded back as he became fully conscious, and he remembered that Sharpay was still there.

He got out of bed wearing only his boxers, and found a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to slip on before heading down the stairs. He walked through the living room, stopping in the kitchen doorway to observe before entering the room.

"Daddy!" Mckenzie was seated at the kitchen counter eating a bowl of cereal, while Sharpay leaned over the other side of the counter, propped up by her elbows, while she talked to the little girl.

Sharpay jumped when Mckenzie announced Troy's presence, and turned around to face him.

"Good morning." Troy said, his voice sounding hoarse from speaking for the first time that day.

"Morning." Sharpay gave him a timid smile, not sure if he would still want her in his house this morning.

Troy gave her a once over. She was dressed in the same clothes she had worn last night, now wrinkled from having slept in them. Her hair was somewhat flattened compared to the day before, and was sticking up in a place in the back he wasn't sure she knew about. Her eye makeup had smudged down below her eyes, and none seemed to be left in the places she had worn it yesterday.

He was not sure how she managed to still look so beautiful to him even now.

"Did you sleep good?" He asked, clearing his throat.

She nodded, "Yeah. I had a good little sleeping buddy."

Mckenzie grinned, shoving her last bite of cereal into her mouth before jumping down from her seat and running over to the two.

She looked up at Troy, "Can we do something together today?"

"You and me?" He asked, glancing nervously back at Sharpay.

"You, me, and Mommy." Mckenzie grabbed Sharpay's hand, swinging it a few times before realeasing it again.

"Um..." Troy struggled for an excuse, and Sharpay blushed feeling embarassed and uncomfortable.

"It's Saturday!" Mckenzie exclaimed, "You said you didn't have to work all weekend."

"I don't." Troy admitted, at a loss for a reason to give his little girl to avoid the awkward situation, "I guess we could all go somewhere together today. Unless Mommy's busy."

Sharpay picked up on the hinting tone in his voice, and knew he would prefer not to spend the day with her, but still hoping to reassemble her broken family, she shook her head.

"Nope, I'm perfectly happy to spend the day doing whatever you two want." She tried to smile peaceably at Troy, hoping he would be civil with her today, even if it was only for the sake of Mckenzie and not out of any feelings for her.

"Okay then." Troy took in a deep breath, and then smiled down at Mckenzie, "What do you want to do today 'Kenz?"

"Go to the zoo?" Mckenzie smiled up at him.

"Alright. The zoo it is." Troy nodded, still trying to mentally prepare himself for the day ahead of him.

He looked at Sharpay, "I guess I'll get me and her ready. If you want to go back to your hotel and clean up, we could meet you there."

"Ryan's." She corrected him.

"Huh?"

"I'm not staying at a hotel. I'm staying with my brother." She explained.

"Oh." Troy's eyes widened in surprise, even though he chose not to comment on it.

Ryan had been extremely upset when Sharpay had left as well, and had often had his own two cents to add about her whenever Troy needed to vent. Troy knew that Ryan had spoken to Sharpay on the phone from time to time, but he wouldn't have thought he would be ready to take her in when she came to visit.

"I guess I'll go back there and freshen up, and you can call me when you're ready to meet up?" She said.

"Yeah. That sounds good." Troy swallowed, and managed to nod, praying he could make it through the day.

* * *

Mckenzie's face was pressed up against the glass of the display, staring intensely at a gorilla a few feet away.

Troy and Sharpay hung back watching her, standing just close enough so that their opposite arms occasionally brushed whenever they shifted awkwardly. Sharpay tilted her head at an angle, looking up at Troy, and studying his face as he watched Mckenzie.

"What?" He asked gruffly, turning his head to make eye contact with her, which she quickly adverted.

"Nothing." She mumbled, looking straight ahead again.

"It looks just like her."

"Yeah, I'm sure she comes all the way to New Mexico to go to the zoo."

"Well it looks just like her!"

Sharpay stiffened at the sound of two girls whispering excitedly to each other about her, and she hoped the cynical one of the two would talk enough doubt into the other to convince her to leave her alone.

"You've been recognized." Troy muttered to her under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Shh." She hushed him, still hoping to be left alone.

"Excuse me?"

Sharpay reluctantly turned to face a girl around thirteen, who immediately squealed when face to face with her.

"Oh my God, it _is _you!" She exclaimed, hurriedly ushering over her friend with an excited hand.

Sharpay forced a smile and braced herself as the other occupants of the exhibit slowly started to crowd around her at the girl's enthusiasm.

"I love you so much!" The girl prattled, "You're my absolute favorite actress. Can I have your autograph?"

Sharpay thought about trying to feign surprise and still claim to be someone else, but she had too much of a crowd now, and she knew what it was like when she lied, and convinced onlookers started to challenge her identity.

"Sure." She smiled, and the girl handed her a pen out of her bag, and a napkin she located, the best thing she could find for paper purposes at the moment.

Sharpay set the napkin on Troy's shoulder, feelling herself blush when his heated glare reprimanded her for the thoughtless action. She hastily initialed her signature and quickly removed it from Troy's body, handing it back to the girl, who was gripping her friend's hand and let out another small squeal.

"It was nice to meet you girls." She stated, smiling and hoping that would be the end of it.

The other onlookers were still staring at her intensely, whispering to each other, but at least not approaching her directly.

Mckenzie had turned around to observe the interaction, and was watching with curiosity as people crowded around her mother.

"Who are they?" The other girl spoke up, picking up on the fact that Troy and Mckenzie seemed to be with Sharpay, "Are you related?"

Sharpay faltered, glancing back at the two and then at the crowd of people, and thought about the minute possibility of one of them having some connection, and going to the press with the scandal of a Hollywood actress with a secret baby.

"They're my cousins." The lie slipped off her tongue in an instant, Mckenzie still watching her with wide baby blue eyes, and a mouth gaped open.

"Oh." The girl seemed satisfied.

"Thanks!" The other called as her friend began to pull her away, "It was so cool to meet you!"

The rest of the crowd started to dissipate as the two girls left, satisfied with their celebrity spotting and ready to move on with their day.

Sharpay turned back around to face Troy, finding him glaring cooly at her.

"Fucking bitch." He hissed at her, audible enough for only her to hear.

"What did you say Daddy?" Mckenzie was still staring at the two, realizing the relationship between her two parents had turned unpleasant.

"Nothing, 'Kenz." Troy called back, "You want to go to the playground now?"

Mckenzie nodded back, and walked slowly back over to the two, not unaware of the heavy tension.

* * *

"She picks up on a lot more than you realize." Troy informed Sharpay, the two now seated on a bench while Mckenzie ran around the park, laughing with the other children.

"She doesn't understand why you lied back there but she knows you did it."

Sharpay felt sharp heat rush to her cheeks, and she hated herself for denying her family directly in front of them this time.

"That was an incredibly selfish thing you did." He continued, "I know why you said it, and I know you didn't have time to think much about it. But I know that Mckenzie didn't need to watch you deny being her mother, after all she's been through not having you around."

"Do you think she knows I love her?" She asked, feeling the sharp burn of tears beginning to well behind her eyes.

"I tell her you do." Troy replied, "And I know she loves you more than anything."

Sharpay bowed her head, "I'm an awful mother. I always have been. Maybe she would have been better to never know I existed at all."

"Sharpay." Troy swallowed, and thought about the battle of emotions he'd been dealing with since she arrived. He knew he had to reach a resolution; to let go of all the pain and resentment he had harboured for so long, for his daughter's happiness, and for his own peace.

She looked up at him, and he ran a thumb softly under her right eye, catching the liquid that fell from it.

"I can't forget what you did, but continuing to resent you so much for it isn't making things any easier on me, and it's not what's best for Mckenzie. As much as I can't understand what you did, and as much hurt you cost me and my daughter, I forgive you."

He let out a shaky breath, and lowered his hand from her face, squeezing one of her hands tightly, "I'm glad that you're here, and Mckenzie gets to have you in her life. Just please, please, don't abandon her again. Every other time you've come to visit; what was it three times? You waltzed into our lives for a day and were gone again that night. I can tell this time is different, and I don't know why it is, but I know if you just left again Mckenzie would be heartbroken, and she'd finally realize the mother she's been missing all this time."

Sharpay desperately tried to swallow the painful lump in her throat. At that moment every ounce of shame and remorse she had ever felt for what she had done seemed to be filling her at once, Troy's hand tightly squeezing her own the only source of comfort for her.

"I had a pregnancy scare." She didn't look into his eyes, but rather down at their two hands, still connected tightly.

Troy squinted down at her, at a loss of words, and extremely confused by the sudden confession.

"I freaked out, and the first thing that came to my mind was how Sharpay Evans was going to keep her reputation in tact, and if I was going to have to fake some hidden long term relationship in order to make myself look better." She paused in order to take in a deep breath, which more closely resembled a sob, "And then I thought about her. How could I be miles away raising some other baby, when I still had one back home I never even saw? That wouldn't be fair to her or to you."

"But... you aren't pregnant are you?" He asked.

Sharpay shook her head, "It was a false alarm, but after I had spent a couple of days with so much inner conflict, I knew I couldn't just return to my life like none of it had happened. I felt like it had happened for a reason, to make me realize what I had been missing. I booked a plane to Albuquerque for the following week, and here I am."

"So a pregnancy scare is what brought you back." Troy bit his lower lip, feeling a bit preoccupied with one thought.

"The idea of you with another guy is driving me crazy." He admitted.

"I'm sorry." She murmured quietly.

"I mean I knew you must have been with other guys, it's just hearing it out loud and knowing for a fact that it's the truth..." He sighed heavily, and was suddenly aware again of his hand over hers in her lap, which was starting to feel awkward.

"No one ever meant anything to me Troy." She informed him earnestly, "I only ever loved you, and I never stopped."

"Then why did you leave?" He heard the pouty voice in which he spoke, and he felt himself returning to who he was four years ago, so heartbroken and confused, and willing to do anything to bring her back.

"I don't understand why you never talked to me. You just up and left, leaving me nothing but a letter. I would have done anything for you, and I tried to make you understand that. I would have moved out to California with you if that's what you wanted. I didn't want you to feel like I was anchoring you down and holding you back from anything. And I really didn't want you to feel that way about Mckenzie." He could feel his own eyes beginning to water, in accompany to hers.

"It wasn't just the unchased dreams Troy. I was never a natural mother, and I was so young and confused, and you were so much better with the baby. I felt like you were always judging me, dissapointed that I just couldn't seem to pick up on it, and I started to wonder if maybe things would be better off for everyone if I wasn't around. You could raise Mckenzie without me in the way, screwing everything up, and I could get the chance to follow my biggest dreams."

She pointed something else out, "And, it's not like you were chasing me down and begging me to stay, so I thought maybe you wanted things that way too."

"I came after you!" Troy nearly shouted in his exasperation, "You left your phone behind! It was like you didn't want me to be able to contact you, but I still came after you! I read your letter over again around fifty times, took Mckenzie's to your brother's, and took a midnight flight out to Los Angeles immediately. I spent two weeks trying desperately to hunt you down, having no idea where to start in a city with ten million people in it. I contacted all the acting agencies I could to see if you had come there. I spent days literally walking the streets looking for you, thinking that God might send you to me, because he knew that I needed you."

Troy stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and Sharpay's gaze was unbreaking as she stared at him and waited for him to continue, the tears running down her cheeks going unnoticed.

"After a couple of weeks, I knew I was just being stupid. It was ridiculous to think I would find you by walking through an entire city looking for you like you were a lost dog." He shook his head at his own foolishness, "I needed to get back home to my daughter. I knew one of us had to be there to take care of her. So I booked a flight home. I kept imagining on the way there that you had realized your mistake the day after you left, and immediately come back home. And the two of you would be waiting there for me when I got back, sitting in a chair together. You'd be rocking her, and then the two of us would put her to bed, and I'd kiss you and tell you everything was all right, and I forgave you, and I loved you. But you didn't come back."

She stared at him, unmoving, as she listened. She wanted to fold into his arms, to wipe away his tears and do everything she could to comfort him, but she was afraid that if she moved, he would snap back to the present and stop talking.

"I couldn't understand how you were able to live without us week after week, while I never felt like I had the strength to get out of bed in the morning. Everytime Mckenzie said 'Mama' I thought I was going to break down. I could tell she missed you, even if she was only a baby. And then I remember when you suddenly showed up in that movie, and I was so devestated, because if you were achieving what you ran away to accomplish, then you'd never have a reason to come back home."

He brought his eyes back to look at her again, and studied her tears while he spoke, "I never got a chance to tell you before you left, how much I loved you. And I thought maybe if you had realized, you would have stayed. I don't ever think you understood how deeply I felt about you. No guy will ever love a girl as much as I loved you, Sharpay. It's just not possible."

She finally leaned forward, placing her lips to his cheek, now wet and sticky from fallen tears, and kissed him once, knowing he probably wouldn't allow much more.

Withdrawing her face from his again, she looked down, as he finally took his hand away from hers.

* * *

A/N: For those of you who have been hating on "justifiably upset, but too-dramatic Troy" maybe you'll feel a little different about him after this chapter? I can't say he wasn't dramatic, but a lot of you seem to think he's been too harsh on Sharpay, and I've been trying to show that he's very hurt, and when we speak from places of hurt, well we tend to get ugly.

Oh my Zashley, all those beach pictures! I know she has a boyfriend, and I can't say they meant anything, but those two sure do look cute and close in photographs. :)

As always, please review. I've really been enjoying all the reviews y'all have left so far. :)

xoxo.


	10. Chapter 10

Troy stood, wiping away the tears that had fallen, starting at the bottom of his eyes, and trailing down to the spot on his cheek where she'd had her lips moments before.

Sharpay remained seated on the bench, looking up at him, somewhat dissapointed that he hadn't chosen to return the gesture of affection, even if she hadn't expected him to in the first place.

"I'm going to get Mckenzie. I think it's about time to leave." Troy cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Oh okay..." Sharpay stood up off of the bench, brushing herself against Troy's side.

"Do you want to go grab a bite to eat or something?" She smiled up hopefully at him.

"I think maybe Mckenzie and I should just go home." Troy said.

"Oh." She cast her eyes down to the pavement, "I was really enjoying spending time with both of you."

"Well do you want to see her tonight?" Troy offered.

"Yes. Maybe we could all-"

"Not all three of us." Troy cut her off before she could finish her suggestion, "I have another date tonight, and I was thinking about bringing 'Kenz over to Ryan's. You said you're staying with him."

Sharpay snorted, "A second date immediately after the first one? It must have gone so well." Her voice rang with a heavy mocking tone that made Troy roll his eyes.

"I don't have any free time during the work week and I often work weekends." He explained, "I don't have a lot of time to date, so I'm just utilizing my time the best that I can."

"Cut the bullshit." She shook her head, "You're trying to show me that you've moved on, and use this woman as a shield or something to keep me away from you."

"Sharpay." Troy sighed, "Look, I have a right to date whomever I choose, whenever I want. The two of us haven't been together for years, and it's clear you've had other relationships since."

Sharpay ignored his comment about herself, continuing, "Why are you sending Mckenzie to Ryan's? I stayed with her last night by myself and did just fine. I could do it again tonight, that way Mckenzie can stay at her own home, and the two of us can bond one-on-one some more."

"Well, Ryan and Mckenzie are pretty close. He hasn't seen her in a week, so I thought he might like to spend some time with her. Plus, you know, I was thinking that maybe if things went well..." Troy trailed off, and shrugged, while Sharpay's jaw dropped.

"Don't go." She said, a mix between a demand and a plea, "Please."

She took a step toward him, pressing her body against his slightly, "I want us to spend time together. We were really reconnecting a minute ago, and I miss you like crazy."

Troy took a step back, and inhaled deeply, "Sharpay, I'm all for you building a relationship with my- _our _daughter, but you and I have no chance of becoming anything more than whatever it is that we are right now."

Sharpay shook her head, refusing to believe the statement, "But what about Mckenzie?" She grabbed his hand, and looked into his eyes, "Don't you think she deserves a stable family?"

She was manipulating him again, using his daughter as a pawn to play against him, and Troy didn't like it one bit.

"She deserved that four years ago, but _you _took that away from her. I'm going on a date tonight, and you don't have any control over it." He stared down at her, straight in the eyes, and felt a sudden surge of power rush through him.

Who did she think she was anyway? The way he was towering over her made it suddenly seem laughable that she could have ever dominated him with such confidence in the past. He didn't need to take commands from a ninety-five pound blonde. He didn't need her at all. He had been fine the past few years raising his daughter without her...

"Mommy!" Mckenzie interrupted his mental talk-through by rushing up and thrusting a handful of dandelions towards Sharpay, "I picked these for you."

"Aw, thank you baby." Sharpay took the flowering weeds from her daughter, and ran a hand through her hair.

Troy took notice of the way Mckenzie stared up at Sharpay, with the same look of adoration and infatuation she wore when she looked at pictures of her in a magazine. His daughter loved Sharpay, regardless if she had been absent for the majority of her life, and despite the fact that the person she thought of when she saw her mother, was an image largely a product of Troy's own letters. It was unconditional.

Troy had told Sharpay he was glad she was here for Mckenzie, and he had to mean it. She'd be a part of their lives forever, rather it was as a real, in the flesh person, or as a gaping void that would forever be empty.

* * *

"Mckenzie's coming here tonight." Ryan smiled at his forlorn sister, who had been sulking on the couch for the past thirty minutes, since she had arrived home.

Things were somewhat awkward between the siblings. Ryan had to deal with conflicting emotions having her around him again. On the one hand, he had been incredibly angry with her the past few years since she had walked out on Mckenzie and Troy. He couldn't understand how she could stand to miss one moment of her daughter growing up, and it made him feel distanced from her, even now, when she was staying with him in his home. At the same time, Ryan had grown up doing nearly everything together with his twin sister. He missed her a lot after she left Albuquerque, and he longed to rebuild their brother/sister bond.

He hadn't gotten much of a chance to adress his mixed feelings towards her, since she had spent most of the time she was at his house locked in the guest bedroom by herself. She only seemed to hang around the living room and kitchen areas when she wanted to vent about her own negative emotions regarding Troy. He wasn't entirely sure why she had begged him to let her stay with him, instead of renting a hotel, considering the two had spent so little time together, although he assumed she might have wanted to be around someone she knew would always love her, a relief after dealing with Troy's resentment each day.

"Yeah, Troy's bringing her over here so he can bring some bimbo over to his house." She grumbled, folding one leg underneath herself.

"Try not to dwell on what Troy's doing." Ryan sat down beside his sister, "Just be happy you get to spend time with your daughter."

Sharpay didn't look at him, continuing to stare ahead of her and frown, and then announced suddenly, "I'm going out."

"Out?" Ryan looked up in shock as Sharpay suddenly stood up, walking towards the stairs, "Out where."

"Out." She replied over her shoulder, already stepping onto the landing.

"Will you back by the time Mckenzie gets here?" He yelled back at her.

She didn't reply, already having reached the second story.

* * *

It was seven when Troy came by to drop off Mckenzie.

"Hey 'Kenz!" Ryan smiled down at his favorite niece when he opened the door, and while she returned the smile, she was quickly peering over his shoulder looking for somebody else.

"Where's Mommy?" She looked up at Ryan, eyes wide.

"Uh, she went out to run a few errands. Hopefully she'll be back soon." He tried to sound cheerful, but the little girl immediately looked crestfallen, walking inside and anxiously glancing around, as if Ryan might have been lying, and Sharpay was in the house somewhere.

"She's not here?" Troy asked in disbelief.

"She said she was going 'out.'" Ryan lowered his tone, "She's really unhappy about you going out on a date tonight. I don't even know where she went, but maybe she just needs a few hours to be by herself and work through the things that are upsetting her. I think she'll be home pretty soon to spend time with 'Kenz." He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, hoping it was true.

"I told Mckenzie she was going to be here." Troy glanced through the doorway into the living room, where Mckenzie now sat motionless on the couch, sulking in the same position her mother had not long ago.

"I'm sorry." Ryan didn't know what to say. Sharpay may have been trying to improve her relationship with Troy, but she wasn't making herself look good at the moment.

Troy glanced back hesitantly at his car in the driveway, "Maybe I should call off tonight and take her back home with me. I don't want her to spend all night here waiting on Sharpay, and then be dissapointed if she doesn't show up."

"No, it's fine. I'm sure Sharpay will be back. It's not like she has anywhere else to go. And we'll have plenty of fun just the two of us until she gets here." Ryan smiled encouragingly, "Go have fun."

"All right..." Troy finally stepped in the house, "Give me a hug before I leave, Mckenzie."

Mckenzie stood up and walked over to him, face solemn, "You said Mommy would be here."

"She will be." Troy kissed the top of her head, before standing up to his full height, "You two have fun."

* * *

Troy laughed, pulling the giggling woman to his side.

"Hang on." He reached into his pocket for his keys, fumbling for his house key for a moment before locating it, and sticking it into the lock.

"Huh." He felt no resistance when he turned the key, "I must have forgotten to lock the door."

He shrugged it off, opening the door to his house, met with darkness when he walked inside.

"Come on." He led Karina into the house, walking into the living room.

"Troy?"

The voice that called out to him while he was fumbling for the light switch sent a chill down his spine, and he jumped, flicking on the light. Sharpay was walking towards the two of them, her feet stumbling to the right and then the left every couple of steps.

"Fuck." He muttered. Her car hadn't been parked in the driveway, and he had no idea how she'd ended up at his house at this hour, guessing she must have rented a cab.

"Hey." She said breathily once she was standing in front of him.

"Woah." Karina tilted her head back, fanning the strong smell of stale alcohol out of her face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Troy's nostrils flared in anger, while Sharpay swayed in front of him, appearing to process his question.

Instead of answering him however, she directed her conversation towards his date, "You came back here on your second date? Slut." She slurred.

She held up a finger, pointing it accusingly at her, "I would never do that. And Troy doesn't want a girl who does... who sleeps around... who does that."

Karina looked too shocked to reply, and Sharpay turned to look at Troy again, her face suddenly turning into a grimace.

"I don't feel good." She rocked back and forth on the four inch heels she was wearing, and looked at him pleadingly.

"You need to sit down." Troy spoke to her gently.

Sharpay's face twisted again, and then once again anger took form on her features, "Not until I'm finished!"

"You!" She glared angrily at Karina, "You are ruining everything!"

She took one threatening step toward her, opening her mouth as if to say something else, and then suddenly fell forward on top of the other girl.

"Oh gosh." Karina caught her by the shoulders, and Troy reached over, wrapping his arm around Sharpay's waist and helping her to stand again.

"I'm so sorry." He said to his date, who managed to smile tightly and nod.

"Come on Sharpay." Troy reached gingerly behind her knees, lifting her up, and carrying her towards the staircase.

She mumbled something he couldn't understand, pressing her nose against his collared shirt and sniffing him.

"Oh God." Troy set Sharpay on her feet again once he reached his bedroom.

"What is wrong with you?" He shouted, grabbing his hair with a fist in frustration.

Sharpay looked taken aback, convinced in her drunken state that the gentle way he had handled her meant he was glad she was there.

"I feel bad." She reminded him, swaying once again, and looking like she might give out if the heels she was wearing weren't removed soon.

Troy nodded, letting his hands drop by his sides, knowing there was no use explaining his anger to her now, when her reasoning was impaired and she probably wouldn't remember in the morning anyway.

He stepped forward, helping her sit down on his bed, and kneeled down at her feet, unbuckling and removing her shoes.

He stood up again, walking to his dresser and digging through a drawer, pulling out a white cotton t-shirt for her.

"Here." He spoke gently, "Put this on. I'll be right back."

He walked back down the stairs, half surprised to find Karina still sitting on his couch, but thankful that she was still there.

"Hey." He tried to smile at her, trying to look as if he were seeing the humour in the situation, but she returned the gesture with a look of pity.

"Hey." She stood up, "Somebody does not want you seeing other people..."

"She's just... a bitch." He mumbled. He could feel his cheeks burning.

"The two of you obviously have a lot of unresolved issues. I don't want to get caught in the way of anything." She said.

"You're not. Obviously we have unresolved issues. She's been out of my life for years." Troy tried to reason with her concerns.

"Well that's the other thing..." Karina bit down on her bottom lip, hesitating, but continued, "I can't help but wonder why you waited until the week your ex-wife showed up before asking me out on a date."

"Wife." Troy muttered, deciding he might as well pull all of the skeletons out of the closet right now.

"What?" She asked.

"I'm technically still married." He informed her.

"Oh." Her voice was low, barely audible.

"Only because she ran off so fast we never got the chance to get a divorce." He quickly added, "It's not like we still have any marriage to speak of, obviously."

"Troy." Karina sighed, "I would really love to go out on another date with you, but I don't want a drunken starlet jumping out of the bushes every time I'm out with you. Maybe you should take some time to work through your issues with your," Her eyes bugged for a moment as she said the word, "_wife, _before we move any further."

Troy nodded along, "Yeah, I understand."

"I had a great time." She finished, "Now go upstairs and make sure she's okay. She wasn't looking so hot a minute ago."

Troy shifted on his feet, "I'm really sorry about that. I'm sure she would be extremely embarassed if she realized.."

"Don't worry about it." She shrugged with a small laugh, "Now I get to tell people about the movie star with a personal vendetta against me. It's a good story to have."

Troy chuckled softly, following her to the door, "Goodnight." He muttered.

She repeated the word, before walking out, and Troy shut the door behind her, remembering Sharpay.

He walked upstairs and back into his bedroom, finding her in the adjoined bathroom, her arms wrapped tightly around the bottom of the toilet, her forehead rested on the seat.

"Pay." He said softly.

She looked up, and groaned, "I threw up."

He knelt down beside her, noticing that the tag on the t-shirt he had given her was sticking straight out in the back, realizing she had put it on inside out, not that it made any difference.

"Do you feel better now?" He asked.

"I don't know." She squinted at him, placing a hand on his cheek, "I don't know why you're being so nice to me."

"I don't know why either." Troy agreed.

He wrapped his arms around her, and picked her up, carrying her back into the bedroom, and laying her down on top of his bed.

"Here," He pulled back the covers, and helped her get underneath them, throwing the extra pillows off the bed so that her neck wasn't craned.

She reached for his hand, delicately holding it in her own, "You're not going to leave me up here are you?"

Troy faltered, ready to go lay down on the couch alone and wait to pass out and forget about the day.

"No." He answered.

"Lay down with me." She looked up at him.

"Okay." He could feel himself giving into her like he had sworn he wasn't going to do, but she was so helpless and childlike at the moment that he couldn't leave her by herself, and more than anything all he wanted to do was just hold her.

He kicked off his shoes and pulled back the covers on his own side of the bed, crawling in beside her, forgetting about the fact that he was still fully clothed. He pulled her body into his, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

He could feel her hot breath against his neck, where her head was cradled against him.

"Every night, before I go to bed, I say a prayer for the two of you, and say I love you and goodnight."

He breathed softly, listening to her quiet, drunk voice while she spoke.

"I always sent things." She was referencing all of the gifts she had mailed over the years to Mckenzie, though Troy had always seen them as meaningless and impersonal, a symbol of Sharpay's own shallowness.

"I would go out to buy things for her, and I would always pretend that I was just a normal mother. She was waiting at home for me, and I would hand her the surprise when I got there, and she'd give me a hug. The way she hugs you..." She trailed off, the sound of her and Troy's breath the only noise in the room for a moment.

"I didn't even know what she looked like. She's been a different person every time I've seen her. You know those other times I came here, I wanted the same thing I want now. I wanted you to let me stay, and have a family. I want to know there's someone in the world who still loves me..." She was quiet again, Troy still breathing as softly as possible, listening intently to her, "But I know that's not fair. If I want to be in Mckenzie's life again, I have to work for it on my own. I can't expect you to just sweep me into your arms again and make everything all right."

Troy swallowed thinking about the position he was in now, "But I want to." He told her, "I want everything to be all right. I want us to be a family." He inhaled, his mind still on the probablity that she would forget all conversation that happened tonight in the morning, "I want you."

"You can have me." She stated simply, "I still love you, and you can have me."

Troy shook his head wistfully, "You were supposed to be with Mckenzie tonight, and instead you were out somewhere getting trashed. I can't trust that you're going to do what you say you will. I don't know that as soon as things are good again you won't run out on us and break Mckenzie's heart. I can't put her on a rollercoaster like that."

Sharpay traced shapes into Troy's chest with her finger, "I feel like I'm stuck in this horrible, endless circle. Everything's awful, and I can't do anything to make it better, so that causes me to do things to make it worse. I've been given so many opportunities to be completely happy, and I always fuck everything up. I'm like the luckiest girl in the world, but everything in my life is so crappy."

Troy bowed his head in, smelling her hair, the familiar scents causing memories to flood through his brain, and he closed his eyes, imagining he was still living in those memories, he and Sharpay.

"Just pretend that it's four years ago. We live together here, and I'm the happiest man in the whole wide world just to be married to you." He pressed his forehead against hers, holding her body tightly to him, "And you're going to sleep great tonight because you know that I love you, and that there's nothing you could ever do to make me stop loving you."

She was silent for a few minutes, and finally replied, "I hope the baby sleeps through the night."

Troy let out a breath, and hugged her tighter, "So do I."

* * *

A/N: What did you think? I'm glad I finally got to write an actual Troypay scene for this story. Feedback is immensely appreciated as always.

Seriously, please review.

xoxo.


	11. Chapter 11

Troy slowly came into consciousness. The first thing he was aware of was the light behind his still shut eyelids, registering that it was morning. Next he felt something heavy pinning his left arm down to the bed, cutting off his circulation. The last sense to awake before he opened his eyes was his hearing. The sound of breathing and occasional light snoring was coming at a steady rhythm beside him.

He made an effort to open his eyes, squinting in pain for a moment at the bright light that met him. The sight of Sharpay, her eyes shut, right cheek flattened against the pillow, and mouth open while she slept, jolted him awake. She was still snuggled right against him, looking like she hadn't moved much at all during the night. Troy stared at her, not sure if he should wake her up now, or let her sleep and try to manuever his arm out from under her in order to make his own escape.

While he was contemplating his dilemma, he noticed that a few strands of hair had fallen into her face, chuckling as he watched her suck them into her mouth with each intake of breath. He reached for the hair with his free hand, pulling it away from her face, and tucking it behind her ear. His fingers grazed across her left cheek as he brought his hand back to rest beside him, and he heard her make a slight gasping noise in her sleep. Her eyes began to move rapidly behind her eyelids, and then they suddenly began to flutter, alerting him that she was waking up.

He felt his heart begin to pound, not entirely sure how to deal with the situation. Should he be upset with her? He certainly had a reason to, but then again, he had let her spend the night in his bed last night, perhaps letting the window of time in which it was appropriate to be angry pass. He needed to talk to her, that was for certain, to let her know that she couldn't continue to act so recklessly, and that she should have been at home with Mckenzie last night.

He watched her eyelids finally rise, looking up to make eye contact with him. He held his breath, waiting for her to speak, but she continued to stare at him silently. Then, to his astonishment, she shut her eyes again, moving her body in closer to his, and burrying her head in his chest. She let out a small sigh, the only noise he heard her make.

"Sharpay?" He spoke to her after a moment, wondering if she had fallen back asleep.

"Mhm?" She replied, eyes still closed.

"Uh, shouldn't we get up, and talk?" He asked, suddenly feeling far too close to her.

He should have had more willpower the night before. He shouldn't have let her sleep in his bed with him, cuddled into his arms no less. Now she could be thinking anything. Maybe that they were back together. She might not remember last night at all. Maybe she thought the two of them had done more than just sleep in his bed together.

His mind was racing through a million what-ifs and regrets when she replied, "Yeah. I was just trying to pretend for a little bit longer."

Troy breathed out loudly through his nose. She remembered last night. He wasn't sure if that was for better or worse.

She slowly sat up in bed, and reached for her head, "Ow. It's bright in here."

Her head crashed back onto the pillow, landing on top of Troy's briefly freed arm again in the process.

Troy pulled it out from under her with the necessary force needed, no longer worried about waking her up.

"Come on downstairs. I'll find some asprin for you and make you some coffee." He stood up, looking down and for the first time remembering he had fallen asleep in his clothes.

Sharpay seemed to notice his attire too, crawling out of bed and then glancing down to discover what she was wearing, the t-shirt Troy had given her to sleep in the night before.

"Oh. Right." She muttered.

"If you want, I'll leave so you can get changed back into your clothes from last night." Troy offered.

Sharpay shook her head, "This is much more comfortable."

"Oh. All right." He gulped, stealing a glance at her long uncovered legs.

"Unless it makes you uncomfortable." Sharpay blushed, not used to having to worry about modesty when around Troy.

"Nothing I haven't seen before." He replied, turning and walking out of the room.

Sharpay followed him downstairs, wincing at the headache that seemed to throb with every step down. Troy reached the bottom long before her, as she tried to take each stair gently and carefully, and when she reached the kitchen, he already had a glass of water and two pills sitting on the counter for her.

"Thanks." She sat down on the stool behind it, grabbing both items and quickly popping the pills in her mouth, chasing them down with three gulps of water.

"Uh huh." Troy was already withdrawing coffee beans from his cabinet, and she watched him in silence as he set up the coffee maker.

When he was finished, he turned to her, "I guess we can go ahead and talk while we wait."

Sharpay nodded, and then, as Troy started to open his mouth to speak, she blurted out, "I'm so sorry!"

Troy closed his mouth again, standing still, and waiting for her to continue.

"I screwed your date up, and what's worse I did it on purpose. I don't even know what I did or said. The last thing I remember is being upstairs in our room- your room!" She paused, embarassed by the blunder, but continued, "I can't even believe you let me stay, but I'm so glad you did, because I needed you last night Troy."

Troy stared down at the floor, "Mckenzie was so dissapointed last night when I dropped her off at your brother's and you weren't there."

"Oh." A deep crimson blush crept onto Sharpay's cheeks when she realized she hadn't even thought about her daughter the night before.

"You're not the child I'm supposed to be taking care of." He stated, "You have a child you don't take care of..."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize..." She swallowed, realizing that an act she thought had pulled Troy closer to her, may have just pushed him away even further, "You said Ryan wanted to see her, and I just assumed the two of them would be spending time together. I was so preoccupied with the thought of you with another woman. I just couldn't stand it."

"_You _couldn't stand the idea of me with someone else?" Troy exclaimed, suddenly becoming excitable, "Sharpay you told me yesterday that the reason you came back here was because of a pregnancy scare! The thought of that is absolutely sickening to me. I haven't even been with another woman since you left."

"Never?" Sharpay could feel her head pounding in pain, made worse by him raising his voice, but she ignored it, overcome with disbelief, "You haven't had sex in four years?"

"No." Troy almost felt embarassed about it, but he knew there was no pointing in lying to her, "Around six months after you left, everyone kept insisting I start dating again. I had several women come upstairs to the bedroom, but that was _our _bed. No matter how much I tried to rationalize things in my head, I always felt guilty and wrong, like I was cheating on you. I could never go through with it. Eventually I stopped trying to date. I didn't really want anyone else anyway."

"You didn't _love _anyone else." Sharpay corrected, "I promise you, I never did either, but sex is sex."

"Not to me." He grumbled taking a step back, stung to realize he had been more sentimental about their intimacy than she had, "After I'd slept with someone I loved, to do it with anyone else just wouldn't be the same."

"Oh." She lowered her head in guilt, the impure one out of the two, "It's human to have desires."

"Like wanting to be with someone even after she broke your heart and abandoned your daughter?" Troy mumbled.

"Troy..." Sharpay stood up, walking towards him, and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Stop torturing yourself. I know you're very angry and hurt, but it's clear you still love me, and I still love you. We should be together."

"I don't love you anymore." Troy insisted, "I may never be able to get completely over the feelings I had for you in the past. Having you around definitely makes it harder. But I don't want to feel like this about you anymore. I want to be able to move on."

"If you didn't still love me you would have already moved on." Sharpay argued, "You would have been with other women. You wouldn't still be so angry with me. And you wouldn't have let me stay here with you last night."

"I probably shouldn't have done that." Troy stated.

"I agree." Her honest compliance startled him slightly, "But you did. I know it's a little late, but I'm back. I've realized that you and Mckenzie are the two people I need most in my life. You know you've waited to hear me say that. You don't have to continue to push me away out of principle. Give in a little. You said yourself you wanted to be with me."

"I want to be with you in a selfish way that neglects what's best for all of us long term." Troy replied, "But I have the willpower not to do that, because I have to look out for my daughter first."

"Do you always put Mckenzie's needs ahead of your own?" Sharpay asked softly.

"One of us has to." He snapped back.

"Well that's very admirable Troy, but you seem so unhappy." She placed her other hand on his opposite shoulder as well, now holding him in a strange embrace, "Why don't we take things slow." She ran her hands down to his chest, "We'll spend some time with Mckenzie, as a family."

She ran her hands further down, slipping them underneath his t-shirt, and rubbing them over his abs. He'd lost all feeling everywhere else, along with the ability to protest or think with any sort of logic.

"Then the two of us can start to spend some alone time together. We can catch up, and reminisce on old times, and I won't let you be so lonely anymore." Her voice had grown softer with each new suggestion, and she finished by tilting her head up, capturing his lips, and for the first time in years, kissing him.

It took Troy a moment to register what was happening; to feel Sharpay's lips moving against his own. Then, instinctively, he began to move his own lips, kissing her back with more and more fervour with each passing second. His hands reached down, grasping her hips, and desperately pulling her into him as close as their bodies would allow, and then he finally had enough thought process beyond physical feeling to take control of what he was doing.

He roughly pushed her away from him, gasping for air, "I want a divorce."

Her jaw dropped as she took in his words, and for a moment she stood frozen, in shock of the unexpected proposition. Her face broke, giving way to a sob of desperation, and she hit him hard in his chest with the back of her hand one time, before taking a step back and letting out a loud cry.

"What am I supposed to do?" She begged through her tears, "How do I make you take me back?"

Troy didn't answer, swallowing several times, in an effort to rid himself of the taste of her mouth, feeling ashamed with himself for kissing her back to begin with. He was so weak.

"Answer me!" She roared, reaching behind herself and grabbing her glass of water, flinging it at him.

He narrowly dodged the object, and watched it shatter on the floor beneath him, suddenly filled with an eerie feeling, something similar to deja vu. He'd been through this before, watched her throw a fit when something didn't go her way, the few times in their relationship when he hadn't groveled at her feet and refused to give into a ridiculous demand.

Troy continued to get lost in his own thoughts, forgetting about the world around him in the present, and this infuriated Sharpay, desperate for some sort of attention from him, be it good or bad.

She took a few menacing steps back towards him, and suddenly yelped in pain, looking down at her barefeet, the bottoms of them now penatrated with broken glass.

She sank down to the floor, still crying, trying to examine her feet, and pry the shards of glass out of them.

"Sharpay." Troy grasped her by the shoulders, lifting her up, and then carrying her into the living room, sitting her down on his couch.

He sat down beside her, putting her feet in his lap, gently picking out the pieces of glass from her broken skin, while she whimpered, and continued to cry, in her hysterics no longer on the brink of reality.

He glanced back at her face, watched her glare angrily at him through her tears. She was a child. A hopeless, reckless, misbehaving child. He had aged, matured with the natural progression of time, as well as the somewhat untimely responsibilites that had been thrust upon him. She remained forever a little girl, never ready to deal with more than she had planned for in the ideal world that existed only in her mind.

When faced with the prospect of a family at twenty years old, he'd known he had to either adjust to the large pending change, or break down. Now, he was well adjusted, and she was well broken.

She let out a loud coughing sound, choking on the sobs that left her throat at an impossibly fast rate, the tears streaming down her face leaving it red and swollen.

"You need to stop." He spoke to her gently, "You're getting yourself too worked up over something I simply said in the moment. I don't know why you would care so much anyway. We haven't been married for years as far as anyone other than the state of New Mexico is concerned. Here." He lifted her feet off of him, holding the shards of glass in his other hand.

"You're fine." He stood up, walking back into the kitchen and dumping the glass into the trashcan. He glanced down at the rest of it, still broken on the kitchen floor, and needing to be swept up.

"I'll call Ryan." He called back into the living room, "He can bring Mckenzie home, and come get you."

Sharpay didn't answer, lying back on the couch and staring at the ceiling, as her tears began to lull, giving way to shattering doses of self-hatred.

* * *

"Sharpay."

Troy stepped back into the living room some time later, after cleaning up her mess in the kitchen, calling Ryan upstairs privately, and taking some time to meditate on his own, and think through the events of the past week.

She sat up, sniffling and wiping away the tears that had already dried on her face, staining it with temporary streaks of discoloration.

"I didn't want us to have another... confrontation." He stood over her, before hesitantly sitting down on the couch beside her.

"I shouldn't have freaked out I guess. You're right... about our marriage I mean." She let out a quivering breath, "It's just, we were kissing, and I was so happy, and then you said that."

"I said it because I kissed you back." Troy explained.

"I know." She sighed, and then pointed down at her feet, "I shouldn't have thrown that glass at you. I got what I deserved pretty quickly this time... It's been slow and painful dealing with the consequences of leaving you two."

"What are we going to do?" Troy placed a hand on his forehead, closing his eyes for a moment, "We've got to work something out. We can't keep having mini episodes like this. I don't want Mckenzie to witness one."

"Me either." Sharpay agreed, "I'm sorry."

"Let's work on just being friends right now, or at least being civil to each other." He suggested.

"I don't see what it would hurt to spend some time alone together, and try to see if we can make our relationship work." She pleaded the idea yet again.

"That's just not going to work right now." Troy answered.

"But I love you!" Her voice cracked, and she crawled along the couch cushions until she reached him, "I need you Troy. I wouldn't have come back here if I didn't need you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, burrying her head into his shoulder.

"You wouldn't have come back here because Mckenzie needed _you?_" Troy tried again to put things in perspective for her.

"I would. I _did._" She insisted, her voice muffled as she continued to cling to his neck, "But I need you to take care of me."

She tugged on his heart strings a little with the statement, even while his agitation levels peaked. He always had taken care of her. He'd done the cooking and the cleaning, woke her up in the mornings, held her until she fell asleep at night. He'd worked all day while she stayed home, taken care of Mckenzie whenever he was home. He'd put up with Sharpay's temper tantrums, her incessant demanding, always jumped to meet her expectations, no matter how often his efforts fell short in her eyes. He wanted to take care of her, even now; it came naturally to him.

She crawled into his lap, asking in a pouty whisper, "Hold me?"

"Okay." He replied, reluctantly, his arms wrapping around her in yet another situation in which his desires overtook all else, "For now."

* * *

Mckenzie let herself in through the front door, bursting inside while Ryan quickly followed after her. She ran into the living room, and came to a halt, finding not only her father, but her mother as well.

"Hello?" Ryan called out, entering the living room after his niece, also coming to a stop when he found Troy and Sharpay on the couch together, "Oh."

She sat on his lap, arms wrapped around his neck, while Troy had his arms around her body, the two in an embrace that made Ryan remark, "I guess you two made up again."

Troy's heart lurched, and he struggled to find words, overcome with more feelings of guilt. On the phone with Ryan he had recalled all events of the morning and night before, though neglecting to mention the kiss that led to their most recent brawl. He felt foolish, sitting on the couch, holding her, after having just vented to Ryan about her never changing, and the frusteration he felt towards her childishness.

"Mommy, you were here?" Mckenzie asked, "I would have come home last night if I had known."

She stopped, and then let out a giggle, "Why are you sitting on Daddy's lap? You're too big."

"Yeah." Ryan spoke up, staring at his sister, "Mommy's acting like a baby."

Sharpay glared at Ryan, unappreciative of the comment with a deeper meaning. She swung her legs around, and Troy released her from his arms, allowing her to stand up.

"We were just hugging." She said to Mckenzie.

Her daughter seemed no longer concerned with her adult mother sitting on her father in a way she herself would. She rushed to her, wrapping her arms around her legs, "I missed you!"

Sharpay felt her cheeks warm at the physical act of affection initiated by Mckenzie. She beamed, reaching down, and scooping her up into her arms.

"I missed you too."

Mckenzie wrapped her legs around Sharpay's hip, and smiled beginning to chatter about how late she had been allowed to stay up the night before, the pictures she had drawn, and the movie she and Uncle Ryan had watched.

"Shar?" Ryan looked back at his sister, "Do you and Mckenzie want to go upstairs and talk, while Troy and I talk down here?"

Sharpay wasn't happy with the prospect, knowing the two would be talking about her, but she couldn't refuse the offer in front of Mckenzie, who was already nodding her head up and down excitedly.

"Okay." Sharpay replied, while her four year old was already prattling away with all the things just the two of them could do together up in her room.

"So," Ryan waited until he heard Sharpay's footsteps above them before talking, "What's going on between the two of you?"

He sat down on the couch beside him, "You looked pretty cozy when I got here."

Troy felt blood rushing to his face, "I have no idea. I don't even want to talk about the fact that I was holding her in my lap when you walked in. I'm trying really hard to keep my distance from her. It's just hard, to suddenly have her so close to me, after years of fantasizing about her coming back... I don't know." He sighed loudly.

"I'm not judging you. I understand how hard this is for you. And I know how she can be."

"You mean the fact that Sharpay acts more like a four year old than Mckenzie does?" Troy clarified.

"Well, yes, and I'm sure she's said just the right things to make you question if you should even be upset with her." Ryan added.

Troy nodded in agreement, "She's been talking about how Mckenzie deserves a whole family, not a broken one. She keeps insisting I still love her..."

"Do you?" Ryan probed gently.

Troy's face twisted into a mixture of pain, anger, and confusion, "I don't know. I'm so angry with her for everything she's done, all she's put me through, and more importantly, everything she hasn't done for Mckenzie. But everytime I look at her, I just want to hold her in my arms, and kiss her, and just make everything all right again."

"You can't rewind time." Ryan pointed out, "She will never have not walked out on the two of you, no matter how much time passes. It's either something you forgive her for, and learn to cope with over time, or it's something you can't get past and still have a relationship."

"What do you think I should do?" Troy asked turning to look at his brother-in-law.

"I don't know." He admitted, "That's up to you. You're giving her a chance to develop a relationship with Mckenzie, which I think is the most important thing right now. As far as the two of you go, it's up to you to decide what will make you happy. I think you should start by being honest with yourself though. If you're still in love with her, you have to accept it before you're able to move past those feelings."

Troy sighed heavily, clenching his fists nervously, as he finally spoke his confession out loud to another person, "I love her so bad it hurts."

* * *

_"Oh my God! Oh my God! Ssh. Ssh. Oh my God!"_

_Troy hurried, following the sounds of Sharpay's frantic voice, and Mckenzie's wails to the nursery. _

_"Sharpay!" He exclaimed, met with the sight of her scooping their infant daughter off of the floor, a place she clearly wasn't intended to be, "What did you do?"_

_Sharpay turned to him, her eyes welling with tears, and looking as though she were about to faint, "I had her on the changing table, and I left her there for just a minute so I could get a new diaper, and she must have rolled off," She stopped to take in a huge gulp of breath, something she must have ran out of entirely at the impossibly fast pace she was speaking at, "I didn't mean to! I don't know what happened! I'm so sorry!"_

_Troy took the still screaming baby from her arms, bouncing her gently in his own, "You have to be more careful! Goddamnit, she's a human baby, not a doll! Do you know how dangerous it is for her to get hurt?" _

_Sharpay bounced nervously on her feet, nodding along as Troy soothed Mckenzie until she hushed. He set her back on the changing table, quickly replacing her diaper, and setting her back inside her crib._

_"How come she does that for you, and not for me?" Sharpay asked, referring to the baby's content silence. _

_Troy didn't answer, instead placing his hand on the small of his wife's back, and leading her out of the room. _

_"I'm so sorry Troy." She said again, once they were out in the hallway again, "It was an accident I swear!"_

_"I know it was an accident Sharpay, but you can't keep having accidents when it involves the baby! I'm scared to leave her alone with you during the day!"_

_"Don't say that." Sharpay begged, her voice hurt, "I'm her mother."_

_"Yeah, and sometimes I feel like I'm the father of both of you." He grumbled._

_She lowered her head, her ego and feelings both wounded, cursing herself for not being a more natural mother, and for repeatedly letting Troy down in her efforts to become one._

* * *

A/N: Another chapter! I've been trying to put out a few this summer, because I'm starting college in a couple of weeks, and I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update then. I am determined to finish this story though.

Wow, a lot of Sharpay bashing from reviewers last chapter. I'm interested to see how y'all will react to this one. Thank you so much to all that reviewed, regardless of your different opinions, and if you read this chapter, please, please review!

Thanks for reading.

xoxo,

A.


	12. AN

A/N: Hi y'all. Really sorry for doing one of these chapters. So, I'm thinking that it may be time to call it quits with the fanfiction writing. I've gotten barely any reviews on my last chapter of this story, and I understand that Troypay fics and just High School Musical fics in general aren't as popular as they used to be. It seems almost all of my favorite writers have stopped writing, or at least stopped writing this fandom.

Honestly, I really wanted to finish this story, even if it was my last one. I just hate when authors abandon their stories and leave them open ended. But since no one seems to be reading anymore anyway, I guess it won't matter too much. I thought it would be better to at least give some sort of explanation for whoever's left..

I had a lot of fun writing on here, and got to talk to some pretty amazing authors. :) I know for most this is just a fun little pastime, but there are certain writers on here who are sure to publish a novel some day, or do something with their talent, because it would be impossible not to. Thanks so much to everyone who ever read and reviewed my stories, and even if you're gone now, I really appreciated it.

xoxo.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I'm so very, very weak. Your many reviews and PMs were effective. I'm going to finish this story. I want to follow through. So here you go, and thanks for the support.

* * *

"This is Elizabeth." Mckenzie handed Sharpay the fourth porcelain doll she had introduced her to, "And this is Belle. She's my favorite."

Sharpay smiled, standing up each of the five dolls, leaning them against the wall for support, "Very pretty."

"Grandma gets them for me. She says you had a bunch of them when you were little, but for the life of her, she can't find where she put them." Mckenzie shook her head, briefly taking on the persona of Sharpay's mother as she quoted her.

Sharpay swallowed, imagining her family watching after her daughter, but never having her around. She wondered if Mckenzie filled that gap, took the place of child Sharpay, and if that made her absence more bearable for her family, or less.

"Does Grandma talk about me a lot?" She couldn't resist asking.

Mckenzie twirled a curl of the doll she had proclaimed her favorite, wrapped it around her finger, before springing it loose, "Mostly about when you were little like me. She says that I look a lot like you did, 'cept I got blue eyes like her."

Sharpay smiled softly, and reached her hand over, gathering some of Mckenzie's hair into her hand, "Your hair looks like mine did, a long time ago."

Mckenzie looked up, and grabbed some of Sharpay's blonde hair in her hand, "Why'd you change it? You didn't like it?"

"It looks beautiful on you." Sharpay was quick to say, "Mommy wasn't as pretty as you are when she was little."

"That's not what Daddy says." Mckenzie argued.

Sharpay blushed, and reached down, picking up a doll with long red hair, playing with the frills on the Victorian style gown she wore.

"Mommy?"

"Hm?" She replied.

"Do you love Daddy?" Mckenzie turned on her knees to face her, watching her with a solemn expression.

"Oh." Sharpay was startled by the question, and struggled with the appropriate answer. After gaping for a moment, she sighed and nodded, deciding a yes was the answer her daughter was hoping for anyway, "Yes. Of course I love Daddy."

"Oh." Mckenzie was silent for a moment, glancing away, "Do you love me?"

"You?" Sharpay looked at her, surprised, "Oh, I love you more than anything baby."

She reached out for the little girl's hand, holding it in her own, "I love you so much."

"Then, if you love us... how come you don't live with us?" Mckenzie sighed, like she was relieved to have the weight of that question removed from her four year old brain.

"Well, that's complicated..." Sharpay struggled for a careful way to explain the situation to her daughter without crushing her.

"How come I don't ever see you though?" Mckenzie continued before giving her a chance to prepare a response, "I don't live with Grandma and Grandpa, or Gammy and Pops, or Uncle Ryan, and I see all of them all the time, but I never see you. And everyone else at my school has a Mommy and a Daddy, and some of them don't live together but they still see them on the weekends. And I love you real bad, Mommy, and I want too be with you all the time."

Sharpay's eyes welled with guilty tears, and she shook her head slowly, biting them back, "I'm so sorry baby. Mommy's got a real busy job, and she... I haven't been here like I should have."

Mckenzie interrupted again, spilling the things that had apparently been bottled up inside of her, "Drew Collins asked me if my mother was dead, and I said no, she wasn't, my mommy was a movie star, and he said I was a liar, and he told all the boys, and they teased me about it at recess until a teacher made them stop."

Sharpay blew a long stream of air out through her lips. She hated herself. She really, really hated herself.

Mckenzie shuffled on her knees, closer to her mother, reaching up and wrapping her arms gently around her neck, "I just want you to stay with me forever Mommy. I want to live with you, and play with you every day. I love you a whole lot."

Sharpay reached her arms around, hugging her daughter tightly, "I love you too."

"So can I?" Mckenzie asked.

"Huh?" Sharpay leaned back again, to look at her little girl's face.

"Can I live with you?" Mckenzie licked her lips, staring at Sharpay hopefully.

"You live with your Daddy. I know you don't want to leave him." Sharpay swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You could move in here with me and Daddy." Mckenzie explained, "Since you love us, and we love you."

"Well, there are grown up matters that you don't understand that make that impossible right now." Sharpay spoke slowly.

"Is it because you and Daddy don't get along?" Mckenzie kept her arms wrapped around Sharpay's neck, but leaned back, allowing her to look at her face, "That's why Cecilia's parents don't live together any more. But she still lives with her Mommy _and _goes to her Daddy's on Saturday's. I never ever see you."

"I promise, you don't have to worry about that anymore baby." Sharpay assured her, "I'm going to be around a lot more."

Mckenzie didn't seem satisfied, but sensing that was the best she was going to get at the moment, she let go of Sharpay's neck, sliding to the right to once again put distance between them, and picking up another doll.

* * *

"Don't let her know." Ryan said, after a long pause of silence, "Not until you know for sure what you want to do about this... situation."

Troy had to chuckle at his brother-in-law's quickness to throw Sharpay into the dark, but he understood why before Ryan even explained it.

"If she knows without a doubt that you're still in love with her, she'll have you kissing her feet and apologizing for ever even being angry with her in the first place before the day's over. She's already got you holding her in your arms again." Ryan shook his head, sliding Troy a frusterated, and slightly dissapointed, frown, "I just want the two of you to be able to really talk through things and come up with some solutions before she's fully got her hold on you again."

Ryan said "again," like Sharpay's manipulation and control of Troy was an eventual inevitable, and it made Troy's cheeks burn to realize that Ryan had already witnessed his weakness when he walked in on him holding his tormentor in his lap, as if she were the one who had her heart terribly broken and had been left by herself to raise their child.

Troy shook his head, "I have no goddamn idea why she keeps making me feel sorry for her. This is all her fault, but somehow... It's like she's just as broken up about it as I am, and I keep wondering if maybe it's even worse to go through this kind of pain if you know you're the one who brought it all on yourself."

"That may be true, but she still left you here to raise her child, while she was off living a Hollywood fantasy life." Ryan reminded him, "You were angry enough to spit on her last week, and she's already starting to bend the way you think."

"It's just... being around her." Troy let his head fall back on the cushion, "I can't help but want to hold her and make everything all right again. I still love her."

"I understand." Ryan said gently.

"And she's right, about Mckenzie needing a mother in her life, even if it's a little late..." Troy continued.

"You need to make her earn those rights back." Ryan stated, "She's a child. If she thinks you're going to take care of her, and let her walk all over you again, she will. If you want to reassemble your family, I think the first step is Sharpay working on her relationship with Mckenzie."

"Me too." Troy agreed, "She keeps asking me to spend some alone time with just her."

"I think the two of you need to spend some time together with Mckenzie." Ryan suggested.

"We did that yesterday. She told two teenage fans of hers that Mckenzie and I were her cousins when they asked if we were related." Troy frowned, growing upset again as he thought about it.

Ryan winced, "Did Mckenzie hear?"

"Yep." Troy sighed.

"That's great Shar." Ryan mumbled under his breath, as if he were speaking to his sister and not Troy.

"I don't think she'll slip up like that again, though." Troy added in, "She seemed really sorry once she I made her realize how lying about being Mckenzie's mother right in front of her could affect her."

"But you did have to point it out to her." Ryan clarified, "My sister has a brain, she just refuses to use it."

"I always thought she was smart." Troy muttered under his breath, more to himself than to Ryan.

"She's intelligent enough." Ryan granted him, "It's common sense she lacks. That and the ability to feel like a real human being."

"She's cried enough since she's been here."

"I wouldn't doubt there'd be plenty of reasons to, but watch out. She can cry on command." Ryan warned him.

"I know. But I can tell the difference." Troy said, hoping that statement still hold true, even given her increased acting experience in the past years.

* * *

Sharpay and Mckenzie walked back down the stairs sometime later, when Mckenzie was tired of being confined in her room, and had started to whine to be taken outside.

"Ready to go?" Ryan asked Sharpay, standing up from the couch, "Where's your car? I'll take you to go get it."

"Actually, Mckenzie wants to go outside and play..." Sharpay said, "And I was kind of hoping to talk alone with Troy for a while before we go."

She saw Ryan turn back and shoot Troy a pointed look, communicating to him something she had not been a part of. Troy stood up from the couch as well, stepping forward.

"Maybe Mckenzie's uncle could play outside with her for a bit, while Mommy and Daddy talk?"

Ryan rolled his eyes at his sister's phrasing of the request.

"That's fine." Troy spoke up.

Ryan looked back at him, made eye contact, and Troy nodded, to ensure him he wouldn't mind being left alone with Sharpay again.

"Okay then." He smiled down at Mckenzie, "Want me to push you on the swingset, 'Kenz?"

Mckenzie glanced up at Sharpay wistfully, clearly having assumed she would be the one to take her outside, but she nodded reluctantly. Reaching out, she suddenly hugged Ryan's leg, feeling guilty for pouting the entire night before when Sharpay failed to come home, while he had desperately tried to entertain her.

"Come on sweetheart." Ryan understood all of these feelings without verbal communication, an expert on his four year old niece.

Troy and Sharpay remained quiet, waiting until Ryan and Mckenzie had left, shutting the door behind themselves. A heavy silence hung in the air for several drawn on seconds afterwards, until Sharpay broke it with a small sound of grievance, almost a whimper.

Troy looked at her with concern for a moment, but then straightened his face again, remembering Ryan's advice on resisting pittying her.

"Mckenzie asked me to move in here." Sharpay started, jumping directly into the issue on her mind.

Troy scoffed, "Well unfortunately for you, our four year old is not the one with her name on the mortgage, and I'm certainly not asking you that question."

"I know that Troy." She spoke to him in a soft tone, "She was asking me a lot of painful questions though, about my..." She searched for a word that she could manage to say out loud.

"Reckless abandonment?" Troy offered up helpfully.

She cringed, holding her eyes closed for a moment, "I'm just so tired and miserable from thinking about it that way."

"I know." Troy let out a breath, with it softening his body language and facial expression as well.

"I have to go back to work eventually." Sharpay brought up the subject for the first time, one Troy had been fearing since she had arrived.

"Yeah?" He held his breath, waiting for her to explain what that would entail.

"I mean, obviously I'm in between jobs right now when it comes to filming. But my publicist is less than pleased to have me isolating myself in an obscure state with no premiers or coffee shops where I can be photographed by thirty five people yelling out questions about my weight and and any male I've been seen standing within twenty feet of recently." She chuckled softly to herself.

"So what does that mean?" Troy's nostrils flared as he gazed at her intently, "You'll be gone again."

"Not in the same way as before." She said, making him relax slightly in relief, even though he knew that once she was gone out of his everyday life again, he would have to deal with the heartbreak all over again.

"I don't suppose you've changed your mind in the past half hour, and decided you do still want to be my husband?" She bit her lip, smiling slightly as if she knew the whole thing were a joke, but was still surviving off of the hope of his reply.

Troy swallowed, searching for the answer. What _did _he want?

"We both know we can't just pick up our marriage off the floor again after all this time, and try to carry it on like nothing ever changed. I think that would hurt us both."

Sharpay let out a shaky breath, "Okay... Well then I was thinking, when I do go back to California, maybe we can work out an arrangement with Mckenzie."

The hair on Troy's neck prickled, "An arrangement?"

Sharpay nodded, "Like maybe she lives with you for half of the year... and she lives with me the other half?"

Troy's sanity slipped in the time it took for him to imagine six months without waking up every morning to the sight of his little girl, and coming home every evening with her chatting to him in the car.

"No!" He yelled it so loudly, so adamantly, that Sharpay briefly brought a hand up to her face, shielding herself from the anger in his voice.

"Absolutely not! You think you can just show up here after years of not giving a fuck, and take my daughter away from me? You wouldn't even know how to be a parent! How is that even a stable environment for Mckenzie? She's supposed to go to one school one semester, and another the next? She'll never make any lasting friendships." Troy inhaled, not even knowing how to stop the flow of words coming out of his mouth at an impossibly fast rate.

"You don't understand. I am her home. You're the glamorous girl she's built up in her imaganation; a fantasy. You're not a real mother, Sharpay. She may tell you she wants to live with you, but she also asked me to drop her off at an orphanage after she watched Annie. She _needs _me. I can't live without her. I just can't. You can't take her." Troy felt the anger towards Sharpay that had been slowly melting refilling to the brim.

He hated her. How could she possibly ask him to do something like that, after all she had put him through?

"Then how am I supposed to ever build a real relationship with her Troy?" Sharpay pleaded, "You say I'm not her real mother, but I want to be. I'll never get that chance if you don't give it to me."

"I can't live half of my life without my child." Troy shook his head, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit.

"Troy, I really want to have a mother daughter relationship with her. You can't expect me to never work again, and just live with my brother here for the rest of my life?" She tried to reason with him.

"There's no way." Troy was not even looking at her, as if the mere sight was repulsive, "I've raised her for four years. You try to pull any shit now, I'll take you to court."

"Court?" She looked at him in shock, "Are you threatening me? I thought you _wanted _me in her life again."

"I don't want her out of mine in order for that to happen. I'll take you to court, and you don't have a chance in hell of custody rights, because you haven't been a parent to her at all up until now." He spoke the words, hoping they were true, or at least enough to make Sharpay back off the idea she had proposed.

"Are you kidding me?" She sneered, "I could give her everything she ever dreamed. Send her to exclusive private school. Not to mention the lawyers that I could afford, would win my case even if I had been proven guilty of murder. I think you'd be wiser to settle things with me now instead."

Troy watched her, soaking in her words that had dawned on him with the horrific realization that they were true. Her lips were curled back in challenge, and he felt something break inside of him.

"Take her." He spat.

"What?" Sharpay blinked for a moment, surprised to have him relent so easily.

"You ruined my life." Troy's jaw was barred tight, and he looked her level in the eyes, "You're of the devil, Sharpay. The only good thing you ever did for me was giving Mckenzie, and now you want to take her. So go ahead."

"No, Troy." Sharpay relaxed her posture, feeling deeply ashamed, "We can talk this out. I'm just trying to figure out some way to make all of this work."

"And you did." Troy nodded, "So let's do it."

"It's never been my intention to make you unhappy." She stepped toward him, placing a hand on his broad chest, and leaving it there even while he shot her the dirtiest of glares, "I want _us _to work things out. I want all three of us to be together... Maybe you could move out to California?"

"I have a job too." Troy pointed out.

"You could get a new one?" She suggested, watching his stare grow angrier still.

"Mckenzie's entire family is here. I don't want to pull her away from the people she loves."

Sharpay lowered her eyes to the ground, "I'm not here."

"That's your fault." Troy reminded her yet again.

She nodded, blinking back fresh tears, "Everything just seems so impossible. You don't want to budge even a little bit. I can't do anything to improve my relationship with you, and I don't know how I'm ever going to get the chance to be a normal mother to Mckenzie."

"So let's do it then." Troy shrugged, "Let's play airhockey with the kid, and knock her back and forth between the two of us."

"Troy." Sharpay sighed, "It wouldn't really be that bad, would it? She'd get two parents that love her, and ample time to bond with us both."

"You don't understand, because you've lived without her all this time." He argued, "You can imagine living without her for six months, but I couldn't do that."

"Then let's raise her together!" She pleaded, "Let's be together! I love you Troy. I _know _you still love me. You say you're looking out for Mckenzie first. Don't you think the best thing for her would be to have two loving parents under one roof?"

Troy remained still, staring at her, but refusing to answer her question.

"Let it go Troy." She reached for his hands, grabbing them and holding on tight. He didn't pull away, but remained stiff and silent, watching her carefully.

"I know I did an awful, awful thing. It's done. Forgive me." She brought his hands up to her chest, holding them against her heart, and looking him steady in the eyes, "Please, let me back in."

* * *

A/N: Please, please review. Thanks for continuing to read. And forgive me for resigning, and then being so quick to change my mind again. It was largely do to y'all, but I really just don't feel like I'm done with fanfiction yet.

xoxo, A. :)


	14. Chapter 14

_"I promise to always love you, unconditionally. You're my other half of my heart; the one who makes me whole." _

_The church filled with smiles, as Troy finished his vows. Shapay stood across from him at the altar, her long white dress flowing to the floor, draping over her baby bump, one of her hands placed unconsciously over it while she listened to him, the other hand grasped inside of his own. _

_"I'm so happy to be standing up here with you today." _

_She swallowed, nodding, her head swimming, overwhelmed with different thoughts and emotions. She was too young to be up here. She loved Troy, she truly did; she wouldn't mind taking these vows with him one day in the future. But now, barely no longer a teenager? She would never have the chance to chase after the dreams she had coveted since she was three years old. Her entire life would now be dedicated to someone elses: the tiny creature growing inside of her. As much as she loved Troy, and as much as she had fantasized of one day standing up here with him, she was terrified._

_She barely heard the words the minister was speaking, until she felt Troy lock eyes with her._

_"I do." _

_She smiled at him, and nodded, hearing her mother's distinct voice let out an, "Aww."_

_"And Sharpay, do you take this man..."_

_His voice faded out again. She stared straight into Troy's eyes, mentally chanting words of love towards him. She could do this. Everything happened for a reason. She was meant to stay in New Mexico, raise this child, and live with Troy. She had a nice, handsome man to take care of her now. That was what her mother had always wanted for her anyway. _

_"What about your basketball dreams?" She had asked him once, hoping maybe he would show her some sort of doubt in their decision, a similar dissapointment to match what she had been bottling up inside, and make her feel less guilty for it._

_"You're all I need Sharpay." He had told her firmly, placing a hand on her growing tummy, "My job now is to take care of you and our baby."_

_"Oh." She just couldn't voice her own concerns to him. It wouldn't be fair to him after all he was so selflessly giving up._

_"...In sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?"_

_She could feel the eyes of all the wedding guests on her, her bridesmaids inhaling with anticipation. Troy squeezed her hand tightly, a thumb trailing over her knuckle, a small comforting gesture. Was it possible he sensed her anxiety, that he knew about her feelings of sacrifice and obligation?_

_She took a deep breath, staring him straight in the eyes, and spoke in a calm, level voice, "I do."_

* * *

"Let me back in."

Troy's heart was pounding at the words, "You... you have to drain the water before you can tear down the dam." He winced at his lame word choice, needing a comparison to make her understand how he felt. He wanted to do all she asked, but he knew it wasn't time. If he did, it would cause a disaster, he was sure of it.

Sharpay squinted her eyes at him, "What? Are you throwing metaphors at me now? Troy, I just want an honest, straight-forward answer about the way you feel about me right now and the future we could have together."

Troy sighed, "All right. Fine. You want the truth? Of course I still want to be married to you. I want us to be living in the same house, sleeping in the same bed; I want us to be the two parents Mckenzie has to wake up to every morning. Yes, I want all of that, but not... not now, like this."

"What you want Troy is for me to have never left, for us to still be living in the fantasy world where you pretended everything was perfect." Sharpay finished for him, "But I'll never be able to undo what I did. We have to move on from it and make some definite decisions about which direction to take for the future."

Troy shook his head, holding up his hand to stop her, wanting to back track a couple of statements, "The fantasy world where I pretended everything was perfect?"

Sharpay nodded, "If I was unhappy, you just ignored it, hoping whatever it was would just go away."

"You mean how I pretended I didn't notice you were a terrible mother, hoping that one day I'd wake up and you wouldn't be?" Troy snapped, his voice rattling with anger, "Instead I woke up one day and you were just gone."

"You knew I was struggling with raising a baby, and you never wanted to talk about it." Sharpay defended her point, "You knew I was hurting, but you didn't want to acknowledge it, because that would mean accepting that things weren't falling into your perfect plan. Do you remember? The entire time I was pregnant, and I started to worry about not being a good mother, you would tell me that everything would be fine; as soon as I had that baby in my arms, I would know what to do. But that's not what happened, and you resented me for it, didn't you Troy? You hated that I just couldn't be the perfect housewife!"

"The perfect housewife?" Troy scoffed in disbelief, "Sharpay you always were, and always will be, worlds apart from June Cleaver. I knew that. All I wanted you to do was bond with Mckenzie, and love her. You hardly ever picked her up!"

"It's called postpartum depression!" She shouted.

Troy fell silent, "You never said anything about that."

"The doctor said the first step towards healing was confiding in my spouse about the feelings I was having. But I couldn't. You already judged me so much..." She let out a sigh, a talk that had been put off for four years finally addressed.

"Sharpay, I loved you. I loved you so much. Anything you needed to talk to me about, I would have listened, and I would have understood." Troy insisted, "You're accusing me of ignoring problems, but you literally ran away from them!"

"I know!" Sharpay seemed to visibly break, shoulders drooping, her eyes filling with tears, "I'm just so tired of you hating me for all that I did. I always do something to top the last, and I don't even mean to."

"Sharpay, I don't hate you." Troy said sincerely, "You make me angrier than anybody else I've ever met, but it's not because I hate you. It's because I love you more than anything; because you're able to hurt me more than anyone else ever could."

He sighed. So much for Ryan's advice. Sharpay looked at him in shock, and overwhelming relief, and suddenly came at him with a kiss so hard on the mouth he thought she must have bruised his lips.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, firmly pushing her off of him again.

"Oh Troy." She burried her head into his chest, hugging her arms tightly around his torso, "I knew you still loved me. I knew you hadn't stopped."

Troy looked away from her, focusing his eyes on a random spot on the wall ahead, "This doesn't change anything."

"Yes it does!" Sharpay insisted, "I don't have to make you love me again, I just have to make you trust me again! I can do that Troy, I can." She nodded resolutely.

"I don't know that you can..." He trailed off, but Sharpay didn't seem to hear.

"Let me stay here tonight?" She looked up at him hopefully, her chocolate eyes sparkling.

"What?" Troy felt lightheaded, already regretting his confession to her. Ryan was right, and he hadn't listened.

"Let me stay here with you, and Mckenzie. We could go out tonight, like a little family, and then you and I could stay up talking, and figure something out about how we're going to share her." She cocked her head to the side, the way she did whenever she asked for favors.

"I don't... Sharpay..." Troy could feel himself breaking, "Okay."

"Oh, Troy." Sharpay breathed, leaning in to hug him again, "I love you so much. Never stopped. I'm so happy that you still love me."

There were a million things Troy needed to make her understand, the same things he had been trying to stress to her since her arrival. That just because he still had undeniable feelings for her, didn't mean that their marriage could be repaired. That he was still deeply hurt by what she did. That she had a minimal contact relationship with her daughter up until this point, that needed to be fixed before anything else could.

But he was growing weaker, and the time had come for him to start carefully choosing his battles, less she defeat him entirely before the week was over. His biggest priority was Mckenzie, and making sure he got to stay with her and be the father he had been up until this point. If granting Sharpay some alone time with him was what it took to ensure this, he was more than willing to do so.

* * *

"Do you have a kids menu?" Mckenzie looked at the waiter, frowning down at the menu items, consisting of words she couldn't read, and printed in a cursive font she wouldn't have been able to decipher anyway.

The waiter smiled and shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

"Sharpay." Troy whispered under his breath, "Why did you choose this place?"

"It was my favorite resturant in Albuquerque." She answered, "You've been here Troy. We went on dates here sometimes."

"Yes." Troy said through gritted teeth, "But it's not exactly a kid place."

He gestured around to the tables, almost all of them consisting of couples of different ages chatting quietly over candlelight, "And I don't think there's a thing on this menu Mckenzie will try."

The waiter was still standing at the table, "It's not on the menu, but we could easily make spaghetti," He offered.

"I love spaghetti." Mckenzie agreed with a nod.

"There you go!" Shapay smiled at Troy, "Problem solved."

Troy nodded, wishing that he could ask the waiter to bring him a plate of spaghetti too. He had indeed taken Sharpay here several times in the past on her request, never voicing his dislike for the stuffy resturant, or mentioning that nothing on the menu was particularly appetizing to him.

He listened to Sharpay rattle out her order, one that included several concessions and substitutions, to ensure she was consuming a minimal amount of calories, and then he quickly grumbled out the name of a random menu item.

"Very good." The waiter said to Troy, before looking at Sharpay, smiling hopefully, "I'm sorry, I don't want to impose, but it's not everyday you have a movie star eat at your resturant, and the chef wanted to know if you would take a photo with the kitchen staff before you leave. For the menu."

"Oh..." Sharpay glanced over at Troy, who always seemed irritated when attention was brought to her celebrity status.

"After you've finished your dinner, of course." The waiter added.

"Sure." Sharpay nodded, "I'd love to."

"Thank you so much. Everyone back in the kitchen is very excited to meet you." He smiled, before walking off, note pad in hand.

Troy smiled at Mckenzie, seated across from Troy and Sharpay, Sharpay of course being the one to choose to sit down beside Troy.

"Spaghetti. Yum!" He exclaimed eagerly, as she still looked less than happy at the place she had been dragged to for the night.

"Yeah..." She sighed, "What are we gonna do next?"

"Go home and go to bed." Troy answered, "You've got school tomorrow."

"Do I have to go?" Mckenzie whined.

"Do you have to?" Troy looked at her, surprised, "You love going to school 'Kenz, that's where you get to play with all your friends."

"But I'd rather play at home with Mommy." The little girl replied, resting her cheeks on her fists, propped up on the table.

"We could have a little girls' day out tomorrow." Sharpay quickly spoke up, smiling and winking at her daughter.

Troy turned to her, irritated, "I just said, Mckenzie has school."

"Oh come on Troy, she can have a little vacation day here and there." She argued, "It's just pre-school. She probably would be staying home with me during the day if I lived here anyway."

Troy stared Sharpay down, trying unsuccessfully to mentally send her a rule they had already established, 'Don't contradict my parenting in front of her.' Sharpay smiled blankly back, and he sighed.

"Fine." He turned to their daughter, "It looks like you're staying home with Mommy tomorrow!"

"Yay!" Mckenzie cheered.

Sharpay giggled and spent the rest of the time waiting for their food talking to Mckenzie about getting manicures and going shopping. Troy couldn't help but smile, realizing Mckenzie was about to experience her first mother daughter day, something monumental for her, he was sure.

* * *

"Goodnight baby." Sharpay kissed her daughter on the forehead, while Troy hung back, standing a few feet away from the bed. It felt a little awkward for her to be in there, helping him put their daughter to bed, even if it was something he had dreamed about for so long.

"Goodnight Mommy." She wrapped her arms around Sharpay's neck, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"'Night 'Kenz." Troy stepped forward to kiss the top of her head, before stepping back again, towards the light switch.

"'Night Daddy."

Sharpay smiled, and walked out of the room, Troy turning the light off and following after her, pulling the bedroom door with him.

"Leave the door cracked!" Mckenzie called out.

Troy complied, then turned to Sharpay.

"So, what now?" He asked, fidgeting with his belt loop, feeling uncomfortable to be left alone with her in his house at night, while she was sober anyway.

"I actually am in bad need of a shower." She replied, "Do you mind if I..."

"Oh, no, go ahead!" Troy cleared his throat, "You can use the one in my bedroom. I mean the one in my bedroom's bathroom! Well, you know where it is. You lived here..."

Sharpay smiled gently and nodded, turning away, and then quickly spinning back around, "Towels?"

"I'll get you a clean one!" Troy rushed past her and into the bathroom's linen closet, "Here."

"Could I borrow that t-shirt again tonight?" She bit her lip, "I guess I should have driven back to Ryan's to get some things after he took me to get my car."

"That's okay." Troy said, "You can borrow anything you need from me. And you can always drive back there for a change of clothes in the morning, before Mckenzie and you have your little girls' day."

He cleared his throat, "I'll let you get cleaned up now. I'll just be in here." He gestured to his bedroom, and Sharpay nodded with a giggle, before closing the door.

Troy sat down on the foot of his bed, sighing, and removing his shoes. He didn't know at all how to feel about the night so far. He wanted her gone out of his house completely, and yet at the same time, he couldn't even stand the current distance from her, with door closed in the in-suite bathroom.

He fell back on the bed, his upper torso relaxed on the matress, while his knees were hooked over the edge, his feet still planted on the ground. He closed his eyes for a minute, needing a moment to stop thinking so much about consequences and the future, and just relax...

"Troy?"

He jumped when he heard Sharpay's voice, and sat up, realizing the shower water was no longer running. He had been in some deep trance, not quite like sleep, and had briefly been unaware of time or the things going on around him.

He sat up, greeted by the sight of Sharpay standing in his bedroom, a towel wrapped around her body, tosseled damp hair framing her face. Troy could almost feel a groan escaping from his lips, but he caught himself, and stifled it.

"That t-shirt?" She reminded him.

Troy tried to swallow, finding that his mouth had gone entirely dry, and managed to nod.

He stood up, walking to his dresser, and opened a drawer, finding a new one for her, "Here."

Sharpay smiled with gratitude, taking it from him with one hand, the other still grasping her towel, in case the loose wrap suddenly decided to come loose, and reveal herself in front of Troy. Troy stared at her, waiting for her to walk away, wanting her to be dressed again, so that he could clear his head.

She stepped away a few feet, turning her back to him, "Don't look." She muttered softly with a small chuckle. She wasn't sure why the formality seemed necessary, when Troy had seen her naked so many times in the past.

"I won't." He muttered. He sat down on the bed again, his back towards hers. He meant what he said, and willed himself not to turn around.

She let out a small sound, clearing her throat, and he looked back behind his shoulder before he could control himself. She had just dropped her towel on the ground below her, and was sliding her arms through the sleeves of the oversized shirt. His eyes ran down her bare back, stopping at her bottom. She had always been small, but now she was so skinny that the sides of her butt almost caved in on the sides. His eyes raked down her tiny legs, almost toothpick thin now, but somehow still toned and pretty, like they always had been.

The t-shirt fell down around her body as she lifted her arms in the air, covering her down to just below her bottom. She must have felt his eyes on her, because she turned around, immediately locking eye contact with him, and Troy turned his head back around, feeling ashamed.

"Troy?" She stepped towards him, and he felt the bed creak when she sat down behind him.

"Hm?" He asked, refusing to turn around again until his cheeks were no longer flushed.

"Were you watching me?" She asked, her warm breath tickling the back of his neck when she spoke.

"Do you have to sit so damn close to me?" He snapped, scooting down a foot to the right, "Give me some personal space. And no! I mean, yes, but I didn't mean to..." He trailed off, "You're too skinny!"

"Too skinny?" She sounded wounded, and her own cheeks turned red with embarassment. She had assumed he was watching her with desire, only to hear him say that her body was less than adequate.

"Your ass is sinking in." He grumbled.

She blinked a few times, in disbelief and hurt, and then let her gaze fall down to the comforter beneath her, "You're a jack ass."

"You have no ass." He shot back, not really sure why he was acting like such a jerk. At least if he was fighting with her, he wouldn't have to worry about her getting to close to him, or trying to seduce him.

She didn't respond to his most recent insult, crossing her legs and sitting on the bed with her back turned away from him. She had thought he would want her, and instead she suddenly felt undesirable and unattractive, foreign emotions for her. She dropped her head down, closing her eyes and breathing rhythmically, waiting for him to appologize, and hopefully, take back what he said.

"It's just..."

She took in a breath as he spoke up, slightly lifting her head, still facing away from him.

"I just don't understand why you try so hard. I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world, and I always hated it everytime you changed something about yourself." He tried to explain, feeling guilty already.

"Oh." This wasn't exactly the appology she was hoping for, and she wasn't sure how to react.

"Why'd you get your nose fixed?" He asked, staring at her back and waiting for her to look at him again.

She turned around slightly, "I always hated it. It looks much better now. Everyone says so. I still look like myself."

"I liked the old nose." Troy mumbled.

"So I'm horribly unattractive now?" She asked him, rolling her eyes in anger. She shifted her body around to look at him.

"No Sharpay." He sounded almost irritated, "I'm just as aware as you are of how beautiful you still are, and always will be. I'm just saying, you could still be beautiful without all the work."

She crawled towards him on the bed, laying herself down beside him, on her side so that she could look at his face, "Thank you."

"I don't mean to keep acting like such an asshole." Troy shifted his gaze from the wall across from him, to Sharpay, "It just keeps happening."

"It's okay." Sharpay murmured, even though it was growing tiresome, and was hurting her more than she would have liked to admit, "You've had a lot to be upset about."

"Right..." Troy looked up, watching her eyes as they stared intensely back at him, suddenly registering her look.

"Maybe I should head downstairs." He said quickly, "I'll just crash on the couch tonight, and let you get some rest."

"No!" She grabbed for him before he could sit up, and arm locking tightly around his body, "Stay here with me."

"Sharpay..." He struggled to find words, as she lifted her upper body up off the bed, staring down at him.

"You still find me attractive, don't you Troy?" She asked him. He knew what she was doing, but she asked the question with a tugging note of insecurity in her voice that made him feel obligated to answer.

"Yes. Of course. You're beautiful Sharpay."

"And you still love me..." She was breathing heavily, and she lowered her self again, this time her chest pressed against his.

"Please, get off of me." He grunted.

He inhaled the scent of her freshly washed hair. The smooth skin of the palm of her hand was rubbing against his stubble, as she stroked his cheek. He could feel her soft breasts, unconcealed under his t-shirt, pressed up against his chest. She was looking up at him, smiling sweetly, and his eyes were quickly getting lost in hers. They were the richest shade of brown he'd ever seen.

His senses were overwhelmed by her, and he couldn't find the strength within him to push her away.

She leaned up, her lips hovering less than an inch away from his, her hot breath trailing down into his mouth as he opened it, hushing his futile effort to protest, this time before the words even had a chance to leave his mouth.

"Make love to me Troy."

* * *

A/N: Sorry to cliffhang you. I hope y'all enjoyed it though, and I promise you, regardless of how Troy reacts to the situation he is currently in, the next chapter will be very eventful.

Please, please, please review! And thanks so much for all the reviews last chapter. :)

xoxo.


	15. Chapter 15

"Make love to me Troy." The words had left her mouth, sending Troy into a whirlwind. It was the one thing he wanted above all else, yet more than anything, he wanted to be able to resist.

His head was spinning, "Sharpay, you know we can't do that."

"Why not?" Her face remained only inches from his own, all of him still completely overtaken by her presence, "I love you Troy. I need you."

It was his fantasy. For so long he had dreamed she would return to him, that she would be lying in his bed with him and speaking these words. Before he was able to rationalize and think better of it, he had engulfed her in a kiss, his arms wrapping tightly around her.

"I love you so much." He murmured, his head now completely clouded with his love and lust, and nothing else,"I can't believe you're actually here."

His lips were everywhere, kissing her forehead, her hair, her neck, her shoulders; every part of her he could reach was being attacked with kisses of desperate affection.

His head had been fighting viciously with his heart, and now his reproductive system had joined the battle. Even still, he managed to tear his lips away from her, and put up another fight.

"No, really, we shouldn't do this." He looked at her pleadingly in the eyes, begging her to free him, "I can't think straight. This isn't what I want."

Sharpay ignored his look of desperation, "It's what I want," She answered, capturing his lips in hers again.

Gone again, Troy's hands were roaming across her back, feeling her body through her t-shirt. It was so surreal that she was even here, and he was certain he had to be dreaming. His hands travelled further down, stopping at her tiny bottom, and gripping it tightly. She had him. He couldn't fight her. The only way he could get away from her now was if she let him, which she clearly was not going to do.

Her hands were across his chest, unbuttoning his shirt quickly, and flinging it off of him. She sat up, straddling his body, causing him to stifle a moan when the full pressure of her body was placed on his stomach.

Her hands reached down, gripping the bottom of the t-shirt that concealed her, and she slowly lifted it off of herself, Troy's breath catching as he was suddenly staring at her naked body, his eyes pooling with lust and need.

His arms extended again, before he had a chance to process their movement, and his hands were traveling up and down her stomach and hips, cherishing every inch of smooth silky skin.

"Stay with me." He begged her, "Just stay right here with me forever."

Sharpay didn't answer, but reached down for Troy's hands, gently taking them, and pulling them up to her breasts, placing them on them and holding them there, waiting for him to take initiative again.

Troy moved his hands, massaging them gently, staring up into her sweet face. He loved her. He loved her so much and he needed something out of this. He had lost almost all control of the situation in a matter of moments, but he found his voice again somehow.

"Shar, please. Please say you will." He wrapped his arms around her lower torso, pulling her down against him again, and then rolling her over and under the covers, so that they were both on their sides.

He held her tight and stared into her eyes, waiting for some response.

"I'll always love you." She answered, kissing him lightly.

It wasn't what he'd asked of her, and he was almost angry again.

Feeling defeated, he decided to try for something else, "No matter what, you've always got to be around for her."

Sharpay breathed out, "You've always got to be here for me."

Troy kissed her again, his tongue making contact with her and sending a thousand shivers coursing through him. Her lips were so soft and she tasted like fresh strawberries. He always would be here for her. No matter what she did, even if she left him again, his heart would always belong to her and both of them knew it.

As he processed these thoughts, her hands were below the covers, and he felt her reaching for his belt, undoing it in a hurry, while her fingers quickly unbuttoned his jeans. Never in the past had they ever moved this fast. He had always liked to take his time, exploring her every time they made love as if it were all brand new; making contact with every inch of her body.

She had his pants down in such a practiced, careless sweep, and he felt like she'd done this too many times in the past. He couldn't stand for her to go through the motions with him. He needed to be more to her than a potential for orgasm.

"Shar." He grabbed her face in his hands, cupping her cheeks in his palms and looking deep into her eyes, "This is you and me."

She seemed to understand what he was communicating, because she stilled, and her hands stopped. She leaned in to him, pressing her face into his neck.

"I love you so much Troy. And I need to be loved by you too. I just want to be the center of your universe again." She found a spot she knew he liked and sucked at it gently, while his hands stroked softly through her hair.

"Sharpay I start everyday off thinking of you, and end it the same way. Even when I'm asleep, I'm dreaming about you." He kissed the top of her head, again filled with the same sureal feeling. He couldn't believe he was about to make her his again, after all this time.

"You'll always be the only one for me." He concluded, "I can't move on."

"I love you." She repeated, kissing him again before he finally plunged himself into her.

Then, he was inside of her, moving slowly and sweetly, connected to her again, meshed into one being. He pulled her close, her chest tight against his so that they could feel each other's heart beats, fast and pounding.

To be this close to her after so much time, to love her so intimately and express again all he never could in words; he could almost cry.

Her eyelids had closed, but they fluttered rapidly while she moaned in pleasure. His hands were rubbing over all the right spots on the outside of her body, and he did his best to move inside of her the right way; to remember all the motions and movements he had used to please her in the past. He was glad to hear her groaning and panting as an indicator of satisfaction, but he needed to have her eyes look into his.

"Shar," He breathed out, nuzzling her cheek, "Look at me, please."

Her eyes flew open, and she grabbed for him, her hands tensing over the muscles in his back. Her eyes were lit with fire and passion, the same as he could feel behind his own.

"Troy." she moaned his name, staring deeply into his eyes like he requested, even though instinct commanded her to block all but the pleasure out.

He was beginning to feel like he couldn't last any longer. After such a long period of time never being with a woman, it was hard not to give in to the incredible pleasure he was experiencing.

Sharpay seemed to sense this, and reached forward, running a hand along his face, "It's okay. Let go."

It was perhaps the first act of true selflessness she had shown to him since she had arrived, and his heart fluttered, always willing to count her acts of kindness for much more than they were worth. Even still, he was determined, and this only made him all the more so.

His thumb rubbed furiously at that tender bundle of nerves, until she cursed at him and was unable to stop herself from shutting her eyes again, babbling out words of encouragement, begging him never to stop.

When he finally felt her letting go, he exploded in ecstasy himself, shouting her name and clutching her as close to him as humanly possible, holding her tight against his body until they both came down from their highs and their heart beats gradually slowed.

"I love you so much." He wasn't sure how many times he said the words, but they continued to come out of his mouth between the kisses he was placing all over her face.

She sighed in content, as he finally reached over, turning off the light and encasing them in darkness, holding her tight in his arms. He shut out all thoughts of worry, reason, and regret from his mind, focusing instead on the rhythmic sounds of Sharpay's soft breathing, as they both fell fast into needed sleep.

* * *

Troy woke up in the morning without his alarm, the memories of the night before flooding back into his mind in as short an amount of time as it took him to register the feeling of Sharpay's sleeping body in his arms.

He kissed the top of her head, before slowly easing her out of his arms. For a moment, he felt nothing but contentment, and an overwhelming amount of love for the blonde in his bed. But once he was standing above her, looking down as she slept, a sickening dread crept back into his brain, and his heart began to pound with fear for the consequences he might face, now that he had fully given into her.

More than anything, he was frightened for Sharpay to have everything she thought she wanted, only to come to the realization that it wasn't enough, and leave him again, crushing both him and Mckenzie. She'd always had a tendency to view the grass as greener on the other side. He would have liked to think she would never view anything as more desirable than her own family, but she had tossed them aside for bigger dreams before, how could he ever fully feel secure in knowing she wouldn't do it again?

What was more, had she really done anything since she had arrived to show him that she had truly changed? Of course she had come home, and on her own persuasion, he had to give her that. But what had really led her here, but yet another act of irresponsibility on her part? What would have happened had she actually been pregnant with another man's child? Would she have stayed in California, and started a second family, never to return to the life before her career and fame?

And even if that weren't the case, since she had arrived home, she had acted the same as before, childish, manipulative, and tempermental. She hadn't really seemed to change as a person at all. Maybe she had simply come to the realization that her fortune and fame wasn't all she had imagined it would be now that she had obtained it. Maybe she only wanted Troy and Mckenzie again now that she no longer had them.

Troy shuddered to realize that at one point in her life, years ago in high school, he had been the sparkly thing she had saught after. The one it sometimes seemed she wanted merely because he belonged to someone else.

His deeply rooted insecurities, planted after she had run off and left him began to pose a new question: What if Sharpay never had truly loved him at all? Maybe she had only ever loved the idea of him. Once she truly had him, marriage papers and all, she may have realized he was not at all what she had imagined him to be. Maybe now she was only so convincing in her confessions of love to him because she had once again fallen for her own romantic fantasy.

Sometimes he wanted to kick himself for ever falling in love with her. He should have gone to Berkley like he'd planned, Sharpay should have been out of his life as soon as soon as he had moved on to college.

But then, he reminded himself, he never would have had Mckenzie. As soon as his idea of Sharpay became once again the mother of his one and only cherished child, he was never able to regret their past. A million maybes and what if's could never change the fact that he and Sharpay had once created a life together, and no matter what she did, he could never stop loving her for what she had given him.

* * *

"Mommy?"

Sharpay squinted, sitting up in bed.

"I'm up." Mckenzie announced, standing in Troy's bedroom, her hair curled and tangled and still dressed in her night gown, but her blue eyes already wide awake.

"Oh." Sharpay blinked.

Never before had she been woken in the morning by her daughter in a form other than infant cries. Sharpay was saddened to realize this, the way she often had been since her arrival, everytime she witnessed Mckenzie doing something new.

Sharpay clutched the covers tightly around herself, shielding her still naked body. She fished around her for Troy's t-shirt, until she spotted it on the floor beside the bed, and quickly reached down for it, slipping it on under the covers before getting out of bed.

"All right baby." She leaned down, picking Mckenzie up with a slight groan, "Let's get you ready, and then Mommy's going to have to head over to Uncle Ryan's to take care of herself."

She spotted herself in the hall mirror as she walked back towards her daughter's bedroom and let out a groan, "My hair is a sight."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Sharpay and Mckenzie were standing in the largest mall in Albuquerque, still fairly crowded even though it was noon on a Monday. Mckenzie was clutching Sharpay's hand tightly, as they sorted through the children's section of a department store.

"This." Mckenzie let go of her mother's hand to reach towards a sparkling pink skirt hung on the wall, pointing at it when she couldn't reach on her own.

Sharpay chuckled at the likeness of their tastes, all though she supposed all little girls favored pink for at least a little while, before their more permanent personalities began to take form.

"And that!" Mckenzie had already spotted another display dress that was equally as pleasing to her four year old clothing preferences, "Oh, and those."

Sometime later Sharpay had managed her way through trying clothes on Mckenzie, a process made difficult by her daughter's short attention span, lack of patience, and greater willingness to dance around the dressing room than to stand still in an outfit for a long enough time to assess if it fit properly in all areas.

Once they had several shopping bags filled with the clothes Sharpay had decided did in fact fit her daughter, her next challenge had been coaxing Mckenzie through her first manicure. The four year old had requested pink nails, but was convinced by Sharpay to try a little french manicure instead. This led to tears of confusion once she discovered, "They only colored in the tips!"

The dissapointment was quickly smoothed over once she realized her mother had the same style, and the next trial of patience was sitting Mckenzie down with her hands under the dryer, and begging her to resist pulling them out, and touching them, as enticing as this was due to their fresh shine.

By the time they had left the nail place, Sharpay was already feeling exhausted, and she chose to pull her daughter into a jewlery store next, where Mckenzie would have to do no more than browse for things she liked.

Mckenzie picked out several necklaces almost as long as her body, before Sharpay stepped in again, holding up a pair of post earings in hopes of distracting her from the tacky age-inappropriate jewlery in her hands.

"How about these?"

Mckenzie shook her head adamantly, "I can't wear earrings," She pulled her hair back from her face to show her mother her unpierced ears, "Some girls at school do, but Daddy won't let me yet."

Sharpay could already imagine the conflict she might create later between Troy and herself, but she couldn't resist asking, "Would you like to get your ears pierced today?"

Mckenzie's eyes widened to the size of saucers, grinning in delight, "Yes!"

Sharpay smiled, holding her daughter's hand, and leading her through the store towards the counter, where she made the request before Mckenzie had a chance to change her mind. The store clerk directed them to the piercing chair, where a little girl around seven or eight was already seated, clutching her grandmother's hand.

Mckenzie watched with fascination, and then growing horror, as a woman walked towards the girl, ear gun in hand, and situated it, before snapping the earing in. The girl let out a squeal, and then winced as the woman did the opposite ear.

Mckenzie flinched as the other girl let out another squeal, and then grabbed for Sharpay's legs.

"I changed my mind. I don't want to do this." Mckenzie shook her head.

"You'll be fine baby." Sharpay coaxed her, reaching down and pointing her chin up, "Look the other little girl isn't even crying, and now she has pretty earings!"

Indeed, the girl was smiling at her reflection, in a mirror the store employee was holding out to her, admiring the small ruby studs in her ears.

"You're next?" The woman smiled down at Mckenzie, who looked terrified to be spoken to.

Mckenzie glanced hesitantly back up at Sharpay. In all other situations she would have screamed and demanded to be taken home, but she was willing to do anything to please her mother, and she swallowed, nodding up at the girl.

"All right, what earrings would you like?" The woman held out a glass case displaying around a dozen pairs of little gems.

"These all look the same." Mckenzie frowned.

Sharpay knelt down to look at the case too, "You have to wear these first, and in a few months you can wear whatever you want."

Mckenzie huffed, and pointed at a set of clear gems, "Those."

"Okay, go ahead and hop on into the chair." The woman instructed, heading over to sterilize the earrings.

Mckenzie did as she was told, and used both of her hands to hold on tightly to Sharpay's as the woman went through the process of marking her ears.

"All right." The woman had one gun poised, and the four year old squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering before her ear had even been pierced.

"Ow!" She let out a noise as the woman did the first ear, and then relaxed a good bit, "It feels hot!"

"And now the other one..."

Mckenzie tensed again, her face forming a grimace once again, but she smiled when the girl announced she had finished.

"I look beautiful!" Mckenzie exclaimed into the mirror, once the woman held it out for her to see, "I hope Daddy's not mad."

The afterthought made Sharpay chew her bottom lip, hoping Troy wouldn't over react something he clearly had a tendency to do when it came to things involving his daughter.

"You didn't tell Daddy?" The employee responded, looking at Sharpay when she spoke.

Sharpay shrugged, laughing a little, and the woman walked back to her table to set down her gun.

"Is this your niece or something?"

"Huh?" Sharpay whirled around, realizing with terror that she was about to be faced with the same dilemma she had at the zoo a couple of days ago.

"You're Sharpay Evans. I'm sorry, I didn't want to make a big deal about it. But I was just wondering whose little girl you're taking to get her ears pierced." The woman shrugged, "I didn't mean to pry."

"Oh. No." Sharpay swallowed, "She's my daughter."

The woman narrowed her eyes, "You had a baby? That's impossible! I watch all the entertainment shows, and I've never seen a single picture of her..."

"I like to keep her out of the public's eye." Sharpay snapped, helping a puzzled Mckenzie down from the chair while she spoke, "And I like to do so too, as much as possible, so if you don't mind."

She reached into her purse, pulling out her wallet, "If you could just ring us up now."

The girl's face turned red, feeling chastised and unsure of why Sharpay had grown so defensive, "Yeah, sure."

Shapay pulled Mckenzie out of the store as soon as she could, surprised when she began to feel cool relief coursing through her body. She was proud of herself for telling the truth about Mckenzie in front of her this time, and realized it might not be so difficult to continue to do so.

"Why did that lady not believe you?" Mckenzie was holding on to Sharpay's hand, trotting along beside her, putting forth a lot of effort to keep her short legs going at the rate Sharpay was now subconciously walking.

Sharpay slowed, glancing down at her daughter, "Hm?"

"Is that why you told those other girls I was your cousin?" Mckenzie looked up at her, "People don't believe you're my Mommy 'cause you don't live here?"

"People don't..." Sharpay trailed off, knowing there would never be an appropriate answer to give to her daughter, other than the impending choice to explain all of her mistakes and bad choices to her one day once she was old enough to understand.

"I don't care what people think." Sharpay said to her resolutely.

She knelt down, in the middle of the walkway of a crowded mall, in order to give the little girl a hug.

"You're my daughter, and I love you."

* * *

A/N: What did y'all think?

How do you feel about the fact that Troy finally did give in to Sharpay? And what do you think is going to happen now between the two of them?

Please, please, make my weekend and leave some nice lengthy reviews for me to read! :)

xoxo.


	16. Chapter 16

"I slept with your sister last night."

"You know, most people don't call to say that to somebody they want to remain friends with."

Troy let out a small sigh into the phone, relieved to hear Ryan lightening the mood rather than jumping straight into the inevitable lecture after he had completely disregarded his advice from the day before.

"So, you lasted a week?" Ryan continued, "If we're being honest, I didn't think you'd make it this long."

"I'm pretty weak, huh?" Troy could feel his cheeks reddening, but in all truth, he appreciated Ryan's dependable honesty whenever they discussed things. It was what had made it so easy for the two to become friends after Sharpay had walked out.

"Yes, you are, in the way that any guy in love is." Ryan sighed, "Unfortunately, you don't have any guy's circumstances."

"What does this mean?" Troy asked him, his left hand gripped tight on the steering wheel while his right held his phone to his ear. He was driving home from work, and had no idea how to act around Sharpay now.

"Well, how do you feel about it?" Ryan answered, "Do you regret it?"

"I don't know." Troy admitted, "I mean, yes, I wish I wouldn't have given into her so soon. I feel like I've lost all control in a matter of 48 hours... But I love her."

He thought for a moment, Ryan patiently waiting in silence on the other end of the line, sensing Troy needed a moment to sort things out.

"Maybe I should go home and act like it didn't even happen." He finally suggested, "Maybe that will shock her enough to reeling back a little and going back to your place tonight."

"How well did ignoring the issue work out for the two of you in the past?" Ryan hoped he was not rubbing salt in Troy's ever present wounds over Sharpay's leaving, but he felt the point needed to be made.

"Terrible." Troy sighed, "Okay. Then I'll sit her down privately later to discuss it, and decide where this leaves us."

"Be fully honest with her. I can't guarentee she'll pay you the same courtesy, but at least you might encourage her."

"Thanks." Troy wiped away prespiration forming on his forehead, a product of his anxiety, "I'll talk to you later."

"Good luck."

* * *

"Daddy's home!" Sharpay exclaimed to Mckenzie, smiling through the window.

Mckenzie ran up to join her, peering through the window to verify this report, before opening the front door, and heading outside to greet him. Sharpay followed behind her, smiling nervously, not sure how he would treat her this afternoon. She was scared that if he did regret the night before, he might grow cold and defensive towards her, and if he did not, he might suddenly expect more from her than she was able to give at the moment.

"Hey!" Troy smiled down at Mckenzie, picking her up to hug her, "Did you have a good day with Mommy?"

"Mmm hmm." Mckenzie nodded her head up and down, "Look!" She held out her manicured nails, and Troy smiled, nodding in appreciation.

"And," Mckenzie tucked her hair behind her ears, "I got my ears pierced!"

"Oh..." Troy set her back down on the ground, and for the first time looked at Sharpay, who hung in the background, watching him with apprehension.

Troy took a step towards her, "That's a responsibility, you have to clean them daily, and what if they get infected?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "You've proved to me that you're pretty much super Dad. I doubt you'll forget to clean her ears."

Troy smiled slightly, "I think you should be the one to take care of them, since you decided to take her to get them done without telling me."

"Oh... Okay." Sharpay let out a breath of relief, "I can do that."

"Did the two of you do anything else today?" He watched Mckenzie, running away from them, back towards the house.

Sharpay nodded, "Shopping. I hope you like her new wardobe."

Troy chuckled softly, choosing to ignore mild fears of Sharpay morphing his little girl into a minature adult, deciding instead to be happy the two were bonding, and focus on the more important issues between the two of them.

His face shifted to a solemn one, "We're going to have to talk."

"I know." Sharpay glanced over at Mckenzie, who was already on the porch, watching the two from a distance.

"Tonight after I put her to bed, the two of us can sit down and discuss all we need to." He decided fully talking things out would be the best way for the two to reach an agreement about their current relationship, future plans, and the relation between all of it and their daughter.

"Okay." Sharpay agreed, chewing on her bottom lip while watching him with apprehension, "Are we... I mean, was last night a one time thing, or...?"

Troy shook his head, declining to talk it over now, "We'll talk about all of that tonight."

* * *

"So," Troy sat down at the kitchen table. It was nine forty-five, Mckenzie had just been put to bed, and he was finally ready to have the pending talk with Sharpay that he had been anticipating with an equal amount of impatience and dread all night.

Sharpay stared at him, standing on her feet, finding it a little too formal that they were about to have a table discussion. After he gestured to the chair in front of him, however, she decided to play along, and took her designated seat.

Troy was silent for a moment, and she was not sure if he was collecting his thoughts, or if he wanted her to speak first. Either way, she had something else on her mind, before they moved on to the looming issues.

"Can I keep Mckenzie with me tomorrow too?" She asked, looking at Troy hopefully.

Troy blinked, "You can pick her up in the afternoon at the pre-school."

"No, I mean, I want to stay with her all day, like today." Sharpay tapped her manicured nails on the table top, waiting for her answer.

"No." Troy shook his head, "I want her to go to school tomorrow."

"Why?" Sharpay did not give in, "I liked spending the day with her today. It made me feel like..."

"A mother?" Troy finished for her, "Sharpay, you can't be a stay at home mom, unless you're actually a stay at home mom."

Sharpay furrowed her brow, shaking her head in confusion, "Um, no shit?"

Troy sighed, "What I mean is, you can't do this for a week like you're playing house. I want Mckenzie to fall too far out of routine, when I don't really know how long you're planning on sticking around. I guess that's really what we need to talk about first."

"Can't we talk about you and me first?" Sharpay tried instead. She reached across the table, placing her hands on his, "Last night was amazing."

"Okay, fine." Troy complied, "But I want you to tell me, right now, if my consent were already granted, what do you want?"

"As far as you and I go?" She clarified.

Troy nodded, "And Mckenzie."

"I'd want you and I to be together, and live together with Mckenzie back in California." She said.

"Okay..." Troy sighed, rubbing his temples, "I just don't know Sharpay. Clearly, I don't think it's a good idea for us to be living together at this very moment. I don't want us to be fighting all the time in front of Mckenzie, and I'd want to know that we were able to work through our relationship and establish something permanent beforehand. But even long term, I just don't know how I feel about pulling Mckenzie away from her entire family."

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "So you just want to stay in the same city for the rest of your life? This was one of the issues I always had in the past. I just don't understand how you can be so content to just settle for the only thing you've ever known. And do you think every child in the world has their entire extended family within a twenty mile radius?"

Troy huffed, already feeling his level of irritation rising, the conversation having just begun, "First of all, I understand that plenty of kids grow up without having a close relationship with the rest of their family, but that still doesn't mean that's the life I want for my own daughter. And considering you've been absent from her life so far, I've had to rely a lot on other family members to watch her when I couldn't. She's grown up very close to both my family and yours."

He glared at her, before moving on to address the next point she'd made, "And it wasn't ever that I planned on staying in Albuquerque for the rest of my life. I don't know why you seem to think I was such a loser for giving up my wildest dreams and staying here to take care of you after you got pregnant. I didn't think of it as settling. I was just sacrificing. I got something better. As much as I loved playing basketball, I love Mckenzie a thousand times more, and for what it's worth, you mean much more to me too."

Sharpay swallowed, looking at him with a mixture of guilt and pity, "Troy I never said you were a loser for staying. But I don't think you're being completely honest, with you or me. Just because the opportunity to play pro basketball has passed doesn't mean you have to be stuck in one location and one career for the rest of your life. Are you honestly happy working 9 to 5 in an office? You said so yourself at the time, you only got a business degree because it was the best option at the moment, so that you could get a job fast to support me and the baby."

"No, I'm not happy with my job, okay? In fact, it sucks. It's an overload of paperwork, and I have to work overtime every chance I get just to make ends meet." Troy groaned, shutting his eyes and gently pressing the heels of his hands against them, "But it's so unfair that you judge me for it. I chose to work the safe and crappy job so that you would never have to. I thought you'd be thankful that I was taking care of you, but instead you hated me for not making more of myself."

"I hated myself for letting you take care of me, while I didn't make anything at all of myself!" Sharpay corrected him, "I hated myself for being the one who held you back from your bigger dreams."

"And through all of this, you weren't resenting me?" Troy challenged her, "Throughout your pregnancy, while everything was happening to your body, you weren't jealous of me, because I had the ability to run away from it all, even if I chose not to?"

Sharpay felt silent tears she hadn't known were forming, falling down her cheeks in a matter of seconds as she relived the torture, "If you knew that was how I felt, why didn't you ever say something?"

"What was I supposed to say?" Troy exclaimed defensively.

Sharpay pushed her chair back, standing up and glowering down at him, "You knew I felt that way, and you never said anything to let me know that you understood what I was going to. I suffered in silence, and you let me."

"But it's true then, you did resent me." Troy brought the conversation back around, "I knew all the negative feelings you had surrounding me, and why would I have wanted to bring that up? I just thought that things would be different once we had the baby."

"But they weren't, and you knew it." Sharpay pointed out, "I was in much worse shape after we had her, and you never tried to talk about it, or try to comfort me."

"Talk about it?" Troy looked at her in disbelief, "_You _were the one who never confided in me. If you never told me what was wrong, how was I supposed to fix it?"

"Ugh, Troy." Sharpay sank back into her chair, shaking her head, "You knew. You knew what I was feeling, just like I knew you thought you weren't enough for me, and just like I knew how dissapointed you were in my lack of motherly instincts. That's probably why we were so good at pushing each others buttons when we fought."

Troy watched Sharpay's chest rise and fall, as she stared down at the table, immersed in past sadness.

"I'm sorry Sharpay." He reached across the table, holding his hand out, palm facing up.

Sharpay glanced down at it, and then tentatively brought her hand up, placing it in his. He squeezed it tight, before letting go, and retrieving his hand, letting it fall into his lap.

"All right." Troy sighed, "Well, we've succeeded a lot in talking about the past this week, but not about the future. If I were to absolutely refuse moving to California, what would that mean?"

Sharpay let out an uneven breath, scowling, "_Are _you refusing?"

Troy shrugged, "Let's say that I am. What are your plans then?"

"My first plan would be to make you change your mind." She admitted.

"Sharpay..." Troy groaned slightly, wanting to hear her plan given the situation he'd presented, hypothetical or not.

"Okay, okay." She closed her eyes, inhaling before speaking, "If you never moved to California with me, I honestly don't think I'd be able to stay in Albuquerque. I would have to go back home eventually, and I would stay committed to my career. But I've definitely made an absolute decision that I want to remain active in Mckenzie's life, as her mother."

"And how would you do that?" Troy asked, his voice coming out in barely more than a whisper.

"The truth?" Sharpay raised her eyebrows at him.

"The truth." He agreed with a nod.

"I'd want Mckenzie to live with me, whether you decided to live with us or not." She delivered the blow, knowing it would upset him, even if she had already mentioned it two days before.

"So you're saying that I either uproot my life and my daughter's to move 800 miles away from our friends and family for you, after you've been absent from our lives for four years, or I can choose to stay, and have you try to rip her away from me, and risk living without my only child?" His feelings towards her were flipping yet again, anger becoming his primary emotion once more.

"When you phrase it like that Troy, of course it sounds terrible." Sharpay answered, scared he would soon blow up, and trying to put her own ounce of reason into the situation, "But the way I see it, I'm just trying to finally be the mother I should have been all along, and I want my child with me."

"But even if that means taking her away from me?" Troy's icy blues shone intensely, pleading with her to relent, to show him some sort of acknowledgement of his own emotions, beyond when they involved herself, "Sharpay, you know how much my daughter means to me. And she loves me too. I've raised her so far, alone. We have a very close bond. You'd really try to use your money and power to tear her away from me?"

Sharpay stared guiltily down at the the table top, while Troy's eyes continued to bore into her, "How could you do that to me?"

She looked up at him, "Troy I don't want that anymore than you do. I want us to raise her together!"

She jumped to her feet, walking around the table to speak to him, "You said yourself, you hate your job. That Mckenzie and I are most important to you. So move out to California. Spend time with both of us. Figure out what it is you really want to do. I've chased my dreams, now you could have your chance to figure out what is you do love to do, and do it!"

She bent down to be face to face with him, and planted a tender kiss on his cheek, "Think on all we've missed out on together, that we have to make up for."

Troy had to admit, he could visualize the pretty picture Sharpay was trying to paint. Some part of his brain was telling him to give into Sharpay's wishes, and kiss her back. But the principle behind the ultimatum she had given him was eating him away. It just wasn't right, and he couldn't force himself to let it slide.

"But Sharpay, if I don't, you're really going to try to take Mckenzie from me?" He stood up, looking her straight in the eye, giving her one more chance to retract her statement.

"Troy, like I said, I'm just saying regardless of the choice you make, I'm going to do all I can to be Mckenzie's full time mother." She raised her chin slightly, a sign of stubborn will, but also body language signaling defense, sensing Troy's impending anger.

"After all I've said, about how much I love my daughter, how much she loves all of her family here, about how much I love _you,_ and you're still willing to put me through that?" He scoffed loudly, shaking his head at her, "I can't believe you."

"Troy, you wanted me to be honest with you!" Sharpay pleaded, "That's what I was. I could have lied and told you I'd stay here and never make a peep, but we'd both know that wasn't the truth. And if I told you that I was going to go back and leave Mckenzie here, wouldn't you just accuse me of abandoning her again? I've already told you what I really want, and that's for all of us to be together!"

"In fucking California!" Troy shouted, "Why should I be the one to make the sacrifices this time? It's always me! If you want back into our lives so much, you should be willing to do whatever it takes to do that! If you really loved me, you wouldn't be willing to rip my only daughter away from me, knowing how much she means to me, and the pain that would cause me!"

"Troy that's not true!" Sharpay tried to place her hands on his shoulders, but he violently jerked away, "I do love you, and I want to be with you. But I can't go back to living the way I was four years ago. I'd be just as unhappy, and our relationship would be too."

"That doesn't matter anymore!" Troy insisted, "You and I don't have a relationship, and we never will again. I thought you coming back here might have meant your priorities had changed, but they obviously haven't. No matter what you say, the fact that you'd be willing to put me through all that pain makes me certain that you don't love me. I don't even think you're capable of real love at all."

"That's not true Troy!" Tears were rapidly falling now, streaming down her face.

Troy glared at her, no sympathy behind his eyes, "I think I really do hate you. You're a disgusting human being. I don't know how anyone could ever love someone so cold and heartless."

"Troy! Please!" Her tears changed to shattering sobs, and she folded over as they attacked her.

"I guess I'm going to see you in court." He shifted his eyes away from her, to avoid watching her cry, "For now, I just want you out of my house."

She screamed furiously at the command, through her tears, and approached him angrily, smacking him once across the chest.

"I can't talk to you!" She shouted, "You refuse to listen to anything you don't want to hear, and then you act like this when you do! I love you Troy! I could tell you a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough; I swear, I love you!"

Troy still held his gaze away from her, "I want you to go!" He insisted, "Just shut up, and leave."

Sharpay tried to surpress the new sobs that began to rack her body, as she turned away from him. Clearly, he needed to cool down, and she couldn't handle much more of his verbal abuse herself, to be honest.

"Jack ass." She snapped at him, storming away, trying to avoid running as she fled.

Troy stood stiff, wincing when she slammed the front door so hard the walls shook, and then he collapsed into himself, feeling his own tears building. He could only imagine this ending one way, where he lost both Sharpay and Mckenzie, and was forced to live out a miserable life alone. The thought was unbearable.

A buzzing sound cut into the now silent room, the same time as the sound of Sharpay's engine starting sounded outside. He looked around for the the source of the noise, spotting a Blackberry on the counter.

He walked towards it, and picked it up. It was Sharpay's. He couldn't help but glance down.

_New text from: Bryce _

"Who..." Troy clicked 'view now' without even thinking, and stared down at the message without blinking.

_Baby please talk to me. I miss you. Are you back in Cali yet? Call me. _

"Oh fucking perfect." Troy muttered sarcastically to himself. He set the phone back on the counter, and slid it forcefully across the surface, until it fell off the other end, hitting the floor with a thud.

* * *

A/N: So? What do you think? Whose side were you own this chapter? It actually pained me a little to write the end of the Troypay fight scene. It would have been easier to just have Troy say okay to moving, and then have them kiss. But that wouldn't be a good dramatic read.

I'm hoping for a few more reviews on this chapter than I got on the last one, but thanks to everybody who took the time to review. Please, please review!

xoxo.


	17. Chapter 17

Troy was a wreck as he walked through the doors of Mckenzie's pre-school the next afternoon. He had been completely absent from his work all day, all thoughts consumed with Sharpay, and their fight the night before. He was still incredibly angry with her, he was scared of her threat to take Mckenzie to live with her if he didn't comply immediately with her wishes, and he was about to go insane over the text message he had read on her phone last night.

He had considered typing into Google, "Sharpay Evans and Bryce," but had chickened out, too upset for one night to run the risk of seeing photographs of the woman he loved in a relationship with another guy.

Once he had walked past the main offices of the school and into the play room, he was shocked to find Karina, gathering her things as if to leave, no children in the room, including his daughter.

She turned around to face him, her coat draped over her arm, "Troy?"

"Hey!" Troy had thought his next encounter with her would be awkward, after their disaster of a date Saturday night, courtesy of Sharpay of course. But all of his anxiety was redirected towards the absence of his child in the school, so that he hardly realized he was talking to a woman who had held up his drunken estranged wife two nights ago, after being asked inside for "coffee."

"What are you doing here?" Karina furrowed her brow, "Sharpay came and picked Mckenzie up an hour ago."

"Sharpay took her?" Troy felt his throat tightening, threatening to close in from panic. Of course, this was an irrational reaction to hearing that his child was in the care of her own mother, but given the conversation the night before, his mind immediately jumped to the worst, imagining Sharpay already on a flight back to California, his little girl in tow.

"Yeah..." Karina bit her lip, "I assumed you knew."

"You're not supposed to let anybody come in here and pick up our children!" Troy exclaimed, "She didn't ask for my permission to get her today!"

"Okay, calm down Troy." She placed a gentle hand on his forearm, "You're the one who gave the okay for Mckenzie's mother to pick her up in the future. And I wouldn't panic, she was just picking her daughter up from school. Just call her, maybe she forgot to mention it."

"I can't call her. I have her phone." Troy took in a deep breath, "I'm sorry for overreacting. It's just, we had a big fight last night, and I didn't realize she'd still be coming to pick up 'Kenz today. I wish she would have given me a heads up."

"Hmm." Karina frowned in disapproval, "Well, don't worry, she didn't seem to have any mal intentions or anything. She actually appologized to me for crashing our date Saturday." She attempted to laugh lightly.

"Oh, yeah..." Troy scratched at the back of his neck, "I'm so sorry about that. Sharpay just doesn't have a good hold on... boundaries. In all truth, I probably should have called her a taxi cab home that night instead of letting her stay at my place. I owe you a million appologies too."

"It's okay, really." She insisted, "And I'm glad you kept her under your care and supervision. She might have gotten herself into trouble."

Troy chuckled softly, "Well, she's an adult. She should be able to take care of herself."

* * *

"Hello?"

Troy breathed a sigh of relief, grateful Ryan had answered his cell, "Are you at home?"

"I'm headed that way now. Why?"

Troy groaned, "I hope Sharpay's there already. I'm in the car on the way over. She picked Mckenzie up today, and I haven't heard from her."

Ryan paused on the other end, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes!" Troy cried, "Your bitch of a sister has my child and I want her back."

Ryan winced, struggling to hear the word that Troy, and truthfully himself, so often used to describe Sharpay these days, side by side with the one thing she'd always been to him: "sister."

"Just because she hasn't called?" He asked, "She's been picking Mckenzie up every afternoon lately, hasn't she?"

"Well, yes..." Troy sighed, "Maybe she thought she was supposed to still pick 'Kenz up this afternoon like she has been... And I do have her cell. She's just got me freaked out, after last night. I'm sure she told you about our fight."

"The two of you had a fight?" Ryan's voice dripped with sarcastic surprise, "I'm not home yet though, I haven't seen her since yesterday."

"You didn't see her last night?"

"No, she was at your house last night."

"No. She was at my house last night, but we got into a huge argument, and she left around ten." Troy shook away the memory, not wanting to relive it at the present moment.

"I didn't go to bed until midnight, and her car wasn't in the driveway this morning." Ryan clucked his tongue, "Wonder where she's been..."

* * *

The sight of Sharpay's rental car in Ryan's driveway when Troy arrived sent a flood of relief tingling throughout his entire body.

He folded his hands together in a formal prayer and quickly muttered, "Thank you," shooting his eyes up towards the sky. His fears of Mckenzie's location no longer being in New Mexico were appeased for the present day, and he hopped out of his car feeling much more at ease. Never the less, he was still angry over his argument with Sharpay the night before, and was desperate to talk to her some more, hoping to reach some sort of resolve this time.

He knocked gently on the front door, before unlocking it with his own key, stepping inside and calling out, "Sharpay?"

She came walking out of Ryan's kitchen into the living room right away, "Troy?"

Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she was dressed in sofe shorts and a cami. She was licking some sort of chocolate off an egg beater, and for a moment Troy stifled a smile, reminded of her much younger days, when she would chill in his dorm room with him at night, uncharacteristicaly low maintence; a side reserved just for him.

"Where's Mckenzie?" His nostrils flared, and he stared her down, remembering he was supposed to be upset with her, not grinning at her because she reminded him of a cute teenage girl he'd once known.

"Where's my phone?" She responded.

Troy rolled his eyes, moving past her, shoving her away when she stood in opposition to him in the doorway.

"Hey baby." Troy smiled, more than glad to find Mckenzie perched on the counter, her face covered in liquid chocolate and flour.

"Hey Daddy!" She smiled, "We're making cupcakes. Well, we're trying to make cupcakes, but so far we've only made a huge mess in Uncle Ryan's kitchen."

Troy laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"You wanna lick a beater?" Sharpay tentatively stepped forward, reaching for one and handing it to him, a small peace offering.

"No." Troy made a face, "Raw eggs. That's disgusting."

Sharpay shrugged, carrying both the one she had offered him and her own over to the sink and running water over them.

"When did you become a baker?" Troy shifted awkwardly, trying to keep conversation light and peaceful in front of his daughter. He willed Ryan to arrive home soon, so that he could take over with the deal in the kitchen, and Troy and Sharpay could talk alone.

"We're making them for you Daddy!" Mckenzie spoke up, "They're sweet, like me and Mommy."

"You _and _Mommy?" Troy chuckled to himself, "That's debatable."

"What's de-bate-a-bille mean?" Mckenzie asked.

Sharpay sighed heavily from the sink, her back still facing the two of them even though the water was off. She turned around to speak to her daughter, before Troy could give her a definition.

"You ready to help me pour the batter 'Kenz?" She smiled, avoiding making eye contact with Troy, even though he was staring her down.

"Yeah!" Mckenzie replied with sincere enthusiasm.

"Okay." Sharpay carried the tin cupcake pans she had found in her brother's kitchen over to the counter where Mckenzie sat, "I'll tilt the bowl and you use the spoon to get the batter into the cups."

Troy laughed as a fifth of the batter ended up around the edges of the cups using this method, and Sharpay blushed, quickly wiping around the edges with a rag, before sticking the pans in the oven.

"Store bought frosting?" Troy raised his eyebrows at the containers on the counter, "You always cut corners."

Sharpay frowned, turning away from him, and starting to grab all dishes she could find left on the counter, throwing each in the sink with a loud clattering noise.

"Daddy!" Mckenzie scolded, "You're making Mommy feel bad."

Troy glanced over at Sharpay, whose body had gone rigid, the corners of her mouth turned down, her eyes wide and glassy. He could tell that this was indeed true, but truthfully he wasn't in the mood to appologize for it. If she thought she could make ammends for threatening to take his child away from him with partially homemade cupcakes, she was mistaken.

"Hello?"

Troy sighed in relief at the sound of Ryan's voice accompanying the opening of the front door.

"Uncle Ryan!" Mckenzie called out.

"Is everybody in the kitchen?" Ryan's head poked through the doorway a minute later, "Are you making brownies?"

"Cupcakes." Sharpay corrected him.

"Since when do you bake?" He cocked an eyebrow, and Sharpay huffed, already feeling harassed for her cooking efforts.

"I just thought it would be something fun to do with Mckenzie! It's not a big deal!" She walked back to the counter, picking Mckenzie up, and setting her down on the ground.

"Sharpay, can we go outside and talk, now that you're brother's here?" Still unsympathetic at the moment to her insecurities in the kitchen, he chose not to waste time bickering over it in front of their daughter.

"Fine." She said with a roll of the eyes.

"I guess I'll clean up!" Ryan volunteered sarcastically as the two walked out of the kitchen, leaving him alone with the mess.

"I'll help!" Mckenzie smiled up at him, and Ryan bent down, giving his favorite neice a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

"Do you have my phone?"

"Where did you go last night?"

Both spoke at the same time, and then rolled their eyes at the other.

"Do you have my phone?" Sharpay tried again, holding her hand out expectantly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Troy reached into his pocket, and thrust the phone at her, "Whose Bryce?"

"What?" Her eyes widened, and she glanced down at her blackberry accusingly, as if it had been telling her secrets to Troy behind her back, "Are you going through my contacts now?"

"I didn't mean to. You're the one who forgot it, and then it vibrated and I saw the name on the message, and I opened it..." Troy shuffled his feet, staring down at the ground, as he ratted himself out for snooping.

"Wait, you _read _my message? I realized I forgot my phone last night as soon as I got in the car, but I didn't think it was worth going back in for if I had to deal with your temper. I assumed you would respect my privacy, but obviously I was wrong." She glowered at him, and then her face gave way to worry, "What did it say?"

"Something about 'I miss you baby.'" Troy snorted, "So you have a boyfriend you haven't told me about?"

"He's not my boyfriend." Sharpay snapped, "He never was. He'd just like to be."

"Did you fuck him?" Troy asked tightly, his hands groping at the fabric of his button down shirt.

"Troy!" She crossed her arms protectively, taking a half step back, "That's none of your business!"

"What? You told me that you had a pregnancy scare before you came back here. Clearly you're fucking somebody, so I want to know, was it this guy who thinks he has the right to call you baby?" Troy could feel his jealous temper flaring to new heights as he spoke the words aloud.

"Fine Troy." She hissed, "I slept with him, okay? But that doesn't make him my boyfriend."

"Of course it doesn't. Not for you." Troy threw his hands up non-chalantly, "You're just a whore. Why should fucking any guy mean anything?"

"Can you please stop using the word 'fucking?'" She asked, her cheeks turning red.

"I'm sorry. What term does Bryce use when he's fucking you?" Troy snapped back.

The shade of scarlett on Sharpay's face deepened, although Troy couldn't tell if it was from embarassment or anger, or a mixture of both.

"The last time he 'fucked me,' I said your name, and he left immediately after." She took a step towards him, leaning into his ear and moaning out, "Troy..."

It sent a shudder down his spine, and he took a step back from her, his lips curling in disgust, "How am I supposed to feel about that? Should I be flattered that you think of me while you're in bed with other guys?"

"You should understand that I don't love any other guy!" She cried out, "I can't control who texts me when, or what they say!"

"I don't know, do you think maybe letting him fuck you gave him the impression that he could text you?" Troy yelled.

"Troy!" She groaned in exasperation, feeling like she might vomit if he used that expression one more time.

"Where did you go last night?" Troy took a step towards her, "After you left my house, Ryan said you never came home."

"I went to a bar!" She shouted back.

"What are you, a freaking alcoholic? And all night?" Troy challenged her, "Or did you wind up in bed with some other guy?"

"Troy, no!" She answered, "I left the bar, and I ended up driving to East High."

"You went to our high school? Oh for all the corny bull shit." He muttered under his breath.

Sharpay glared at him, but continued, "I broke in through that door in the courtyard that never locked. I went to the auditorium and sat for a while, and thought about the plays we both did there. When I was so in love with you, but you didn't feel the same way. Then I went to the gym, my favorite place in the school."

"The gym?" Troy scoffed, "_That _was your favorite place in high school? You suck at sports and I'm pretty sure you never came to a single game there either."

"Troy!" She hit him lightly on the arm, "Yes I did. Don't you remember? I had my first kiss with you there freshman year."

Troy's face dawned with realization, "Oh... right."

"You told me a week before your first varsity game that you wished you had a girlfriend so you could kiss someone after your first victory." She chuckled, "And I told you that you could kiss _me _but only if you won. I came to that game. I wasn't sure if we were only joking around or if you would actually do it, but I wanted to find out. Then after you won, you were cheering and celebrating with the team. I waited on the bleachers for about ten minutes while everyone was filtering out. Then I finally got up to leave myself, and just as I was walking away, you called my name, ran up to me, and gave me one peck on the lips."

"I thought you were joking." Troy piped in, "It was when I saw you leaving with your head hung that I realized. Your hair was brown then."

"Yeah, mousy-brown and unattractive." She complied while Troy shook his head in disagreement.

"You know, you were my first kiss. My only kiss in high school actually." She recalled, "Even years later, once we were together, I never wanted to ask you about yours, in case I wasn't your first."

"Phoebe Keller was my first kiss. Seventh grade." Troy didn't spare her sentiments, given the lingering images in his head from the knowledge that he was no longer the only guy she had ever been with.

"Oh..." Her eyes drifted downwards to the ground, "Now I know."

"Yeah, well at least I never fucked anybody else, before or after you." He said, still not putting the issue to rest.

"Ow!"

She had hit him once, square across the chest, her eyes boring into his with intense anger, a lone tear falling out of her left eye as she struggled to keep her face smooth, while holding in the sobs that wanted loose yet again.

"Oh my God." Troy took a step back from her, to avoid getting hit again, "If I see you cry one more goddamn time, I'm going to go insane. The only person who feels sorry for you is yourself!"

"I have already told you a billion fucking times how sorry I am for everything I did to you!" She cried, "Just because you saw a text last night from someone in the past, doesn't change who I am now. I came back here because I love _you_!"

"From the past?" Troy asked her, "What, like three weeks in the past? And as far as I can tell, who you are now is the same selfish person you've always been and always will be. You made that very clear last night when you threatened to take my daughter from me!"

"I never 'threatened' you!" She argued, "And I'm sorry that I was honest with you, but I love my daughter Troy, and I don't want to have to live without her in my life anymore! And I don't want to be in her life under 'your supervision' like I have since I got back here. You even called me the babysitter! I want to be her mother, meaning I want to be able to make my own decisions about how to raise her, and if she was living with me, I could do that."

"You gave up those rights when you made the decision that you didn't _want _to raise her!" He shouted.

"I ran away Troy! I already did it. It's a part of yours, mine, and Mckenzie's past, forever. I want to change our future, and I want Mckenzie to know me, and truly love me, not just some character you created!" She insisted, turning away from him as she finished.

"Well I'm never going to let you take her away from me." Troy replied, "I saw you attempting to take care of her when she was a baby, and you were a terrible unfit mother!"

Sharpay let out a scream of anger, turning away from him and walking back into the house, hearing his steps persist behind her.

"Where are you going?" He followed her into the kitchen, where she bent down near the oven, opening the door to check on the half-baked cupcakes.

"And did you honestly think you were going to make things up to me by stealing my daughter to come make crappy cupcakes?" He gestured to the baking items.

"See?" Sharpay turned to point at him, "That is exactly what I'm talking about! I didn't 'steal' your daughter! She's my daughter to, and I should have been able to stay home with her today when I wanted to! And I wasn't trying to appologize to you Troy with cupcakes, because I haven't changed my mind. I still want Mckenzie with me."

"Then what were you doing? You don't bake! Were you trying to impress me by showing that you've learned to be the type of wife you always wanted to before, but could never be? Nothing's changed! You'll always suck at cooking and housework. I don't care about that! The reason you're such a shitty wife and mother is because you're incapable of real love!"

Sharpay interrupted his tyrade with a scream, grabbing one of the baking pans out of the oven with her bare hands.

Troy watched her grabbing the hot pan with horror, as she heaved it towards him. It missed, clattering on the floor, creating a sticky mess.

"You psycho bitch!" He exclaimed, while her already blistering hands were reaching into the oven again for the other pan.

This time her aim was on target, and the pan hit Troy's torso, burning him even through his shirt. He let out a cry of anguish as the pan slowly fell away from his body, held there by the sticky cupcakes. Bubbling batter remained on his clothes after the pan dropped to the floor, peices of already baked cake falling away.

"Mckenzie!" Ryan's voice called from far away, "Don't go in there!"

"You're a fucking sociopath!" Troy exclaimed, taking one menacing step towards Sharpay, "You're an inhuman freak!"

Their tiny daughter came skidding into the room, freezing when she saw the scene in front of her, her parents standing tensely, glaring at the other with intense hatred, neither one noticing her arrival.

"I want you to go away!" He told Sharpay, "Stay away from me and my daughter! It may seem nice for her to have a mother in her life, but you're such a mental bitch, she's better off not having you influence her at all."

She took a step back as he walked towards her, fogetting about the open oven door behind her.

"I hate you!" Troy finished, taking one final step in.

She took a step back in turn, squealing as her legs unexpectedly made contact with the hot oven door, loosing her balance and begining to fall back.

"Sharpay!" Troy reached his arms out, intending to catch her before she fell.

She went down just out of his grasp, falling backwards on the door, screaming as she burnt her back. The door made a metal banging sound, breaking under the weight, and she rolled off to the side, curling into a ball.

Mckenzie burst into tears, startling Troy, who turned to find his four year old daughter in the middle of the kitchen, just as Ryan ran in, coming to a halt when he realized she'd already witnessed whatever it was he had hoped she wouldn't.

"Mckenzie!" Troy knelt down, attempting to wrap his arms around his sobbing child.

"No!" She jumped away from him, scowling at him through her tears.

She ran for Sharpay, slumped on the floor, hugging her tightly. Troy felt his heart break as his daughter looked back at him, as if he were suddenly a monster to her, instead of the loving father he had been all these years.

* * *

A/N: Poor Troy.

What did y'all think about this chapter? I think it may have been the most dramatic one I've ever written. Or at least the movie scene in my own mind was. And the fight? Troy has a right to be upset, but he also said some pretty hateful things. Do you think he was still justified?

Thanks for everybody that reviewed the last chapter. Please, please, please leave some more this chapter telling me what you thought. (And hello, brownie points to me for updating this so incredibly soon!)

xoxo.


	18. Chapter 18

Troy felt his knees weakening, as if they might give out, and he gradually walked towards Sharpay and Mckenzie, kneeling down beside the two.

Mckenzie wailed, a confused child who had just watched the mother she adored torn apart by the father she also loved, only to further witness her fall to injury.

"Daddy pushed you!" She cried, burrying her head into Sharpay's stomach.

Sharpay whimpered slightly, her back feeling as if it were on fire, her tank top haven risen up half-way above her torso when she made contact with the oven-door, causing a large amount of bare skin to be exposed for burning. Still, she glanced up at Troy, and shook her head, knowing she needed to right things between the four year old and her father first.

"No baby, Daddy didn't push me." She explained, "I fell. It was an accident."

"'Kenz I'm so sorry." Troy spoke, looking at his little girl with the most sincere appologetic frown, "I shouldn't have said what I did to Mommy. I didn't know you were in the room. Adults have fights, and sometimes we say horrible things we don't mean."

Sharpay was still wincing from the pain, and hoping someone would offer to help her stand soon, an act she didn't feel as though she'd be able to complete without the skin on her back cracking, but she nodded in agreement for her daughter's sake.

"I said mean things to Daddy too." She ran a hand through Mckenzie's hair to provide physical comfort.

"Really?" Mckenzie sniffled, and lifted her head back to look at her mother's face.

Sharpay nodded, "And I didn't mean them either."

Mckenzie glanced back at Troy apprehensively.

"You told Mommy you hated her!" She exclaimed.

"I don't hate Mommy, I promise." Troy reached out and placed a hand on his daughter's back, "I love Mommy. I was just very angry. I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

Mckenzie wiped her tears with her fists, slowly nodding, "And you didn't push her?"

"No, I would never ever hurt her." Troy replied adamantly.

Mckenzie let out a quivering sigh, as her cries stopped.

Troy intended to talk about the situation further with his daughter later, but for the moment he focused on Sharpay.

"Are you okay?" He gently touched her arm, guilt already bombarding him for the harsh words he had spoken to her, now made worse by the blame he felt for inflicting physical pain on her, accidental as it was.

Sharpay let out a groan, "Can you look at the burn and tell me how bad it is?"

Troy nodded, and Ryan stepped forward from where he had been lingering, watching the interaction between the three.

"Come on 'Kenz, let's go upstairs and watch a movie." He suggested.

Mckenzie looked back at him and shook her head, "I wanna make sure Mommy's okay."

"She will be. Daddy will take care of her right now, and you and I can come back down and check on her later. Okay?" Ryan gestured for her to follow him.

Mckenzie looked back at Sharpay, who gently nodded her consent to her brother's suggestion.

"Okay..." Mckenzie reluctantly stood up, and walked out of the room with her uncle, leaving her parents behind.

"Let's see." Troy gently lifted up Sharpay's camisole, and she turned, allowing him to examine the exposed flesh.

"Ouch." He muttered.

He leaned his head forward, careful not to come into contact with the burn, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Shar." He sighed heavily, "I hate fighting with you. It's only when it comes to Mckenzie that I get so angry and upset. I just love her so much..."

"Can you see if my brother has any aloe?" Sharpay asked.

Troy let out a breath, "Yeah, I'll go check."

* * *

Sharpay lay on her stomach on the couch, the upper-half of her body now completely unclothed. Troy had draped a blanket on the lower-half, and was gently rubbing the aloe he had found in Ryan's bathroom cabinet on her burned back.

"You want to watch TV?" He offered.

She softly shook her head no.

"You need something to drink?"

Again she declined his offer.

Troy fidgeted his hands nervously, "I'm so sorry."

"For the things you said, or for scalding my back?" She replied.

Troy sighed, "For what it's worth, you threw hot pans at me, and you tripped yourself. I tried to catch you."

"I wouldn't have tripped if I wasn't having to back away from you." Sharpay pointed out, causing Troy to squint his eyes shut, blocking out the idea.

"I know. I'm sorry for what I said." He knelt beside her on the couch, looking at her pleadingly.

"Do you mean when you called me a sociopath, an inhuman freak, or a mental bitch?" She asked the question casually, the words themselves standing alone to signal her anger.

"Sharpay, everything. You know I didn't mean it." He placed a kiss on her bare shoulder, "I love you so much. It was just the thought of living without my daughter; it made me go insane. I can't live without her Shar, I really can't, and I don't think you fully understand how hard that would be on me."

"Do you really not want me in her life at all though?" Sharpay drew back to another hurtful comment he had shouted at her moments before in the kitchen.

"No, I do want you in her life. You're her mother. But I feel like you're only looking at things through your own perspective. You can be selfish when it comes to you and me, but not when it comes to you and her." He tried to speak gently, feeling chastised under her glare.

"What does that mean?" She snapped.

Troy placed a gentle hand on her cheek, trying to remove the anger from the situation in order for the two to talk things over with reason, "I've only heard you talk about your own hurt; about wanting to be a mother again. But I'm not sure if you're truly thinking about this putting Mckenzie's best interest first. I understand that _you _want to live in California, that _you _want to have her be with you full time. But have you really thought about what it would be like for her to live on a day-to-day basis without me and all the other family she's grown so close to? And if you did go to California with her, and I didn't come along, are you really ready to commit to being a full-time single parent? It's a lot of hard work doing it all on your own, and she requires a lot of attention."

Sharpay closed her eyes, and let out a small cry of frustration, "I just don't understand why you're making things so difficult!"

She let out another sob, and pressed her face into the couch cushion, "I want us to mend our marriage Troy, and be parents together. I know everything you said is true! I am selfish. I am a terrible mother. I am a whore!"

She let out a high pitched whiny sound, rubbing her face against the suede cushion, grinding her salty tears into it, "I'm just so broken without you. I love you!"

Troy reached forward, cupping her face in his hands, and he gently pressed his forehead against hers, nuzzling their noses gently.

"Sharpay, I love you too. I've always loved you, through everything, and no matter what happens, I always will." He stroked her hair gently, pushing what had fallen in front of her face back, and kissing her sticky cheeks.

"I want to do anything and everything you ask of me." He continued, "If it were just you and me, I would readily jump up and leave everything to go be with you wherever you wanted to go. The only reason I'm hesitating is because I know I have to think of Mckenzie first, and I just don't know what it would be like for her to suddenly be so far away from all of her family."

Sharpay lifted herself up on her knees, a feat made somewhat easier now that the soothing lotion on her back allowed her skin to move more freely. Troy's eyes inadvertantly wandered down to her naked breasts, but he forced them upwards again as she as she began to speak.

"I miss the old days, when you loved me unconditionally, before I did what I did. I honestly didn't think there was anything I could ever do to make you not want to be with me anymore."

Troy moved to sit on the couch in the spot she had just vacated, "Shar I know you know I love you unconditionally. I love you with all my heart. I've just been having to force myself to make sure I'm not putting my desires ahead of my daughter's own needs."

He moved towards her, and kissed her once on the lips. Careful not to touch her wounded back, he placed one hand on the nape of her neck, and with the other gently cupped her bottom, kissing her again, deeply this time.

They pulled away for air, faces flushed, and he made a suggestion, "I want to talk to my parents, and see how they feel about the idea of me moving. Mckenzie hasn't seen them in a few weeks. I think you should come with us."

Sharpay swallowed nervously, "_Your _parents? Oh, Troy, no, I'm sure they hate me for what I did."

"Shar, if we're going to heal, and come together as a family again, I think that you need to reconcile with everyone, including your own parents as well." He reached for her hand and squeezed it, "Do it for me, please. I want you to see Mckenzie's relationship with her family, it's an important part of getting to know the parts of her life you've missed out on."

Sharpay reluctantly nodded, hoping to please him, although going on a visit to see either one of their parents was the least appealing thing she could have thought of on her own.

Troy kissed her lips again, "No matter how this all works out, I _do _love you Shar. I always will."

* * *

"How am I supposed to fake a smile, and bite my tongue to keep from saying to her all the things I've always wanted to?" Jack Bolton held a cup of gourmet coffee in his hand, something made for him by his wife whenever she needed to soothe his nerves.

"Do it for Troy." His wife, Lucille, sat down on the couch beside him, rubbing his arm gently.

"For Troy?" Jack scoffed, "If I'm trying to look out for my son, I feel like should be protecting him from making a huge mistake and getting back together with _her _again."

"Jack, he's an adult now. He makes his own decisions." Lucille reached for his coffee, and took a sip of it herself. Since Troy had called her that night to announce he was coming over to visit with both his daughter and Sharpay, she had been pre-occupied most of the time with calmly talking herself down from the same emotions.

"He's not making his own decisions though, whenever he's around her!" Jack argued, "You and I have both seen it. She puts him under some sort of spell, and whatever she asks him to do, he ultimately will."

"Not necessarily." She tried again to placate her husband, "I think he's really trying to think this through rationally. But he loves her Jack, and in the end, we can't control the choices he makes."

"That is not love!" He asserted, "It's a sick, manipulative, one-sided relationship. And Troy doesn't even realize it, because he can't see anything but her whenever she's around."

"She's the mother of his child." Lucille pointed out.

"She is _not _the mother of his child! She was never a mother, she was a fucking surrogate!" He glared at an object across the room while he spoke, "Mckenzie was a baby when she left; she should have never known she existed! Troy and you both wouldn't let that happen! Talking about her, keeping things around. Like that picture!"

Lucille turned to look at the photograph he was speaking of, already knowing the one he meant. Among two tables filled with pictures of Troy as a child, and an equal number documenting Mckenzie's life so far, there was a lone frame in the back, taller than all the others, of Sharpay. She was pregnant, her hands placed gently over her prominent belly, and smiling, a kodak moment that had been captured by Lucille that spring, when she was going through an amature photography phase.

"That's beautiful!" She insisted to her husband, "That's our little girl!" She was referring to Mckenzie, growing inside of Sharpay and they both knew it, "And what about Mckenzie? She loves Sharpay so much, and Troy says she's been so happy just to have her around again."

"Sharpay should never have left Mckenzie in the first place! That's such an awful thing to do!" He shook his head in disgust.

"She was a twenty year old girl!" Lucille reached deep within herself for the empathy it took to defend a girl who had broken her son's heart so terribly, in the hopes to have her husband mellowed by the time they arrived the next day.

"I know that!" Jack responded, "I never hated her! I could see that she was scared. I knew she wasn't ready to be a mother. I tried to tell Troy that several times, but he didn't want to hear it. If she had decided not to go through with the pregnancy, or didn't want to keep the child, I would have never judged her. But she allowed Troy to give up his dreams to support her, married him, and then ran off afterward leaving him alone to raise the baby, and put him through such emotional turmoil!"

"I know." Lucille murmured.

"How am I supposed to look her in the eyes after I've watched my son suffer after all she's done to him, and tell them that I think it's a good idea for them to try to work on a relationship again?" His hands were shaking, and he set his cup down on the coffee table in front of him.

"I've been struggling with the same feelings." She admitted, "But maybe it's best to just try our hardest to let the past go, and think about what will make Mckenzie and Troy happiest first."

Jack sat in silence, still battling the same emotions internally, and shaking his head, trying to reach a resolve.

* * *

Troy walked back into his bedroom, where Sharpay was sitting on his bed, wrapped up loosely in a satin bathrobe that she had put on before leaving her brother's house. Troy had decided to leave Mckenzie at Ryan's for the night, conceding that Sharpay would come pick her up the next morning before Ryan went to work, so that she could spend the day with her. For tonight, he wanted some alone time with Sharpay, to try to make ammends.

"I just got off the phone with my parents."

She turned to look at him, nodding, trying to dispell the worry that took over her everytime she thought about reconciling with the Boltons.

"We're going to go over there for dinner tomorrow when I get off work." He sighed, kicking his shoes off, and crawling onto the bed behind her, "What about your own parents? Do they even know you're here?"

"I'm sure Ryan's told them." She responded, "But they never try to get in touch with me anymore, and he hasn't mentioned them."

She angled her head down, frowning at the bedspread, "I don't expect your parents to say anything in my favor. What happens tomorrow if they say all the same things to me that you did when you first got here?"

"I actually asked that they didn't." Troy brought his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on top of her head, "I just want you to reconnect with Mckenzie's life, and if you're going to be a part of the family again, I feel like that should involve making ammends with all of Mckenzie's family."

Sharpay didn't answer him, her mind still pre-occupied with nerves, and after waiting a moment, Troy gently kissed her hair.

"How's your back?" He asked.

"Still hurts." She muttered in response.

Troy kissed down to the nape of her neck, and then stopped, holding his lips close to that area, "Let's not fight anymore Sharpay. Let's work things out, let's figure out a solution with Mckenzie that works for both of us, but no matter what, I don't want to scream and shout anymore."

"Me either." She turned her head back to look at him, "I can't help feeling like you really meant those things you said though."

"Only in the moment." Troy insisted, "I love you Sharpay. I meant it when I said I could never hate you. I never have; never will. If you ran out to California again, I'd chase after you again to be with you, just like I did the last time. I just hated the idea that you wanted to take Mckenzie away from me if I didn't do what you asked..."

She turned all the way, and with his assistance, moved into his lap, cradling her head into his neck.

"I'm sorry Troy. It's just, I haven't been a mother in so long, and then I get back here and you make me feel like I'll never get the chance to be one again..." She sighed, "I really do want to be a full-time parent, from here on out. I'm just scared I'm not going to be able to."

"You will." Troy kissed her lips softly, bringing his arms around her to hold her body against his, "We'll figure this out. I promise."

* * *

A/N: I know this chapter was lacking more in the dramatics. So sorry if that's your favorite part of the story. I suppose it was more of a filler, but please, please, please review anyway!

I'm curious as to how y'all feel about the prospect of Troy and Sharpay mending their relationship, and coming together as a family. I have a feeling the responses will be mixed. Oh, and I know some of you will probably really agree with Jack Bolton (who made his first appearance! hahah) but for those of you who have been siding with Sharpay, just try to put yourself in a parents shoes, having to watch your son go through so much emotional stress, and think about how you would feel about the person who put him through it. So he can't really be blamed.

Thanks for reading! :) Review!

xoxo.


	19. Chapter 19

Sharpay let out a soft moan, her fingers trembling as they latched on to his sandy colored locks, her breath coming out uneven. Under the covers, his head moved between her legs, rustling the sheets as his hands grazed up and down her smooth, silken thighs. Her toes curled as the pleasure began to reach the unbearable point where she lost all control, and she ran her toes along the length of Troy's torso.

This wasn't just some Hollywood boy, servicing her in the high hopes that she would repay him afterwards. No, this was Troy. Troy loved her, and this was how he worshipped her. It felt so wonderful to have him do this for her again, to ravish her body in a desperate attempt to convey more emotion than words would allow him. She had been briefly worried that they simply wouldn't reach this point again, that all interactions in the bedroom would have to be initiated by her first, and that she would have to keep him physically stimulated constantly in order to prevent him from jumping out of bed to shout at her for her latest screw up.

She was so relieved that wasn't the case.

She softly panted and then finally felt herself breaking, groaning as she reached that glorious release, her entire body tingling with pleasure.

"I love you so much Shar." He murmured beneath her, placing a few calculated kisses on her inner thighs, before resurfacing above the covers, and placing his lips to her forehead.

"I love you too." She murmured, a hand stroking down the side of his face, "I'm so happy to be with you."

"Sharpay." He let her name out in a breath, and placed a kiss on her pouty pink lips, holding his hand to her cheek, "You're so perfect."

He rolled over to the side, not wanting to crush her under his weight, and he drew her into his arms, holding her body tight against his, feeling every breath she took against his chest.

He gazed into her eyes as he held her, in no rush to continue their activity, knowing they had all night and only each other. Sharpay was reminded of the past, when they spent hours making love, both of them making sure to take their time, truly connecting as much on an emotional level as they did on a physical one. Oh, and she loved him.

She realized then that he was right. Sex with any other person had meant nothing, and it wasn't a part of her she wanted to share with anybody that wasn't Troy.

"You're my husband." She spoke the words, her voice crossing between personal revelation, and timid trepedation, unsure if he was ready to allow the level of their relationship to heighten to marriage once again.

Troy's eyes widened, and then he let out a small chuckle, pecking her on the lips, "You're still my wife. My beautiful, beautiful wife..."

* * *

Sharpay had decided to carry Mckenzie to the door of the Bolton's home, deciding that if either Troy's mother or father desired to lunge for her throat, they would refrain from doing so as long as their granddaughter was in between her and them. More realistically, as she doubted either one of them would actually try to physically assault her, she thought having her daughter with her might prevent them from issuing a long built-up verbal attack, this being the first time they had seen her in four years, since she had left Troy and Mckenzie.

Her heart was pounding a mile a minute when Troy rang the doorbell, and Mckenzie giggled in her arms.

"Mommy, I can feel your heart." She pressed her hand against Sharpay's chest, "Thump, thump. Thump thump."

Sharpay tried to smile, and Troy glanced over at her, sensing her anxiety, and squeezing her shoulder gently. Then he turned his head away from her again, staring straight ahead at the front door while he waited for somebody to answer it. His parents kept the house locked tight under all circumstances, a habit carried out by his mother, that he had always taken to mean she was slightly paranoid.

The door opened, and Troy and Sharpay were greeted by the sight of Jack and Lucille, both wearing smiles on their faces that were visibly forced. Jack's lips were curled back in an expression that was more of a grimace, and Lucille's grin was plastered on her face so wide, it looked like her cheeks might split, as if she needed to convince everyone, including herself, she was happy to see them.

"Come in." Jack stepped back, and let the three into the house.

"Gammy!" Mckenzie bucked in Sharpay's arms, the little girl's smile a genuine one.

"Precious!" Lucille leaned in to kiss the top of Mckenzie's head, and then, as she tilted her head upwards, realized how close she now was to her estranged daughter-in-law. She cleared her throat, and quickly took a step back, while Sharpay averted her eyes to the ground, blushing.

Mckenzie squirmed, and Sharpay knew it was a ridiculous notion to think that she could hold a four year old still in her arms for the entirety of her visit. Even still, she held her daughter tighter against her, not yet ready to give up her security guard.

"Mommy!" Mckenzie whimpered, "You're hurting me!"

Sharpay released her grip, realizing that she had unintentionally dug her nails into her back. Mckenzie squirmed again, and Sharpay reluctantly bent down, setting the little girl on her feet on the ground.

As soon as Sharpay had stood back up to her full height, Mckenzie was running towards her grandmother in excitement, and quickly she was swept off the ground again, this time into Lucille's arms.

"I've missed you sweetheart!" Lucille kissed Mckenzie all over her face while she giggled, "Did you get you ears pierced?"

Mckenzie nodded enthusiastically, pulling her hair back to show off the gems,"Mommy took me!"

"Oh, how sweet." Lucille settled Mckenzie against her hip, and made eye contact with Sharpay, a gesture everyone in the room seemed to be avoiding.

"Hi." Sharpay spoke to Troy's mother, in a voice so tiny and meek she scarcely recognized it as her own.

"How have you been?" Lucille asked with a slight sniff, her lips pressed into a thin line, disapproval visible in her eyes despite her intense efforts to avoid externalizing it.

"Good." Sharpay broke and lowered her eyes to the floor again, and Jack and Troy simultaneously exhaled, both uncomfortable with the heavy tension in the room.

"It's uh..." Jack swallowed, gesturing with his hand towards Sharpay, "It's good to see you again. It's been a while... a long while."

Sharpay could only nod in response, Jack having always been the member of Troy's family who made her the most uneasy. The room grew quiet, as everybody stared at their feet, or a spot on the wall, save Mckenzie, who was glancing between her family members in puzzlement.

"Is everyone hungry?" Lucille again broke the silence in the room again, setting Mckenzie down on the floor, and still trying her best to maintain a cheery disposition, "I'm starving, and I didn't cook tonight just to let it all go cold! Why don't we go into the dining room and eat, and we can all find the time to say... whatever we need to say."

Everyone muttered some form of consent, and followed the hostess out of the room.

* * *

"You like peas Mckenzie. Eat them." Troy's attention was focused on his four year old, who was pushing her fork around on her plate, shoving the food around to busy herself, and avoid eating it.

"I don't like them anymore." She eyed one, and poked it with her fork, causing it to bounce away, rolling along the glass and coming to a stop when it was met with the piece of untouched fish on the plate, "They're too hard to pick up."

"Use your spoon." Troy instructed.

Mckenzie bit into a piece of bread, the only part of the supper she did not seem to have an adversion to.

"Don't fill up on bread." Troy sighed, "If you don't eat, you're going to have to sit beside me, instead of Mommy."

"No!" Mckenzie scowled at him, and reached for Sharpay's right arm, wrapping both of her hands around it protectively.

"Sharpay's the mother, why can't she make her eat?" Jack asked.

"She..." Troy gaped, not wanting his father to tear down Sharpay's mothering abilities, not on this first reunion, with Mckenzie in the room.

"What am I supposed to do, force feed her?" Sharpay addressed Jack.

"Why would she have to sit beside Troy? You're her parent too, aren't you?" He challenged, "The two of you should take turns. Why don't you let Troy finish his supper, while you make sure Mckenzie eats a balanced meal."

Sharpay felt degraded. Nonetheless, she set her fork down, and glanced over at Mckenzie, feeling the other three adults' eyes on her, even while Lucille and Troy tried to pretend to focus on the food in front of them. Suddenly, she felt as if she had stage fright, and this was a make it or break it audition.

"Sweetie, please eat your peas." She requested.

"I'm not hungry." Mckenzie answered, looking up at her.

"Please eat." Her voice came out in barely a whisper, as she shook under Jack's harsh eye.

"Have you ever tried to parent at all, or have you just played big sister for a couple of weeks?" Jack asked.

"Jack..." Lucille looked straight ahead, her voice letting out a low warning.

"Please eat your supper, 'Kenz. For Mommy?" Sharpay tried one final time.

Mckenzie sighed, Sharpay having found the magic words, "Okay. For you."

She took a bite, making a face at the taste, but managing to chew and swallow.

Jack clucked his tongue once, and while he redirected his attention to his own meal as if to let the moment pass, Sharpay felt her irritation grow at the noise, and couldn't let it go.

"What?" She looked directly at Troy's father.

"I didn't say anything." He played innocent, shrugging softly.

"I've been doing a fine job as a mother since I've gotten here." She informed him, cringing at the extremely defensive tone she heard in her own voice.

"Who are you trying to convince me or you?" He asked.

Troy looked up, still having barely spoken a word since stepping inside his parents' home.

"Dad, she's been doing a great job. Her and Mckenzie have a wonderful time together." He nodded with resolve, wanting that to be the end of the conversation.

"Well that's nice, but parenting isn't just about having a good time, all the time. I don't know how a human being without a single ounce of self-control is supposed to discipline someone else." Jack could feel his voice rising, and it was apparent to everyone in the room that his feelings would be expressed in full by the end of the night.

"Dad, we talked on the phone last night and..."

"And you completely contradicted yourself to when we'd spoken just a couple of nights before!" Jack interrupted his son, "You told me she hadn't changed at all. That she still couldn't put anyone else before herself, even if that other person was her own daughter."

"Okay!" Lucille stood up briskly, "Mckenzie, Gammy bought you some new toys for when you come stay over here. Let's go see them."

"We can shelter Mckenzie from it now, but that won't stop her from discovering on her own in the future the truth about her mother." Jack shot in.

"The truth?" Mckenzie eyed Sharpay with confusion, wondering what sort of secret she might have been left out of.

"Mckenzie," Lucille beckoned her towards her, "Let's go see what Gammy bought you."

In the past number of days, Mckenzie was growing used to the mini-smackdowns between the adults in her life, and being escorted out of the room as they escalated. While this didn't change the fact that she was upset everytime she saw her mother berated, she responded this time with less reluctance, "Yeah, okay..." Of course, the fact that she was also getting out of finishing her dinner might have influenced her agreeability to a degree.

Sharpay glanced behind her with apprehension as Lucille and her daughter exited, knowing as well as Troy that his father would be free to express his opinions without limitations once his wife was no longer supervising.

"Dad, I didn't bring Sharpay here to be criticized for her past decisions." Troy tried to keep the peace in the room, "I know everything you're going to want to say, and believe me, I've already covered it about three times. I brought her here in an effort to stop focusing on the past, and to start working towards a future."

"Right, a future where we're all one big happy family." Jack finished for his son, "But I'd regret it if I didn't get a chance to tell you both in person what a terrible idea I think this is."

"It's a terrible idea for Mckenzie and her mother to be in each other's lives?" Troy retorted.

"Mckenzie does not have a mother!" Jack insisted, "We've all said it plenty of times before, and all for the same reasons. The reason I haven't changed my mind, is because I'm not sleeping with her."

Sharpay's face blushed crimson at this comment, and Troy's mouth fell open, his tongue struggling to form the proper response.

"Dad, Sharpay may not have been a mother in the past, but she's ready to be one now, and we both know how much it means to Mckenzie to have her."

"Only because you wrote all those damn letters, and showed her all those damn pictures, and just couldn't stop talking about her twenty-four-seven!" Jack's voice acclimated, and Troy tried to lower his own in an effort to keep things calm.

"That's because I love her Dad." He placed a hand lightly on Sharpay's arm, cupping her elbow.

"Fine. Troy, look, you're an adult and you make your own decisions. You chose to marry her in the first place, and raise a child with her, and God knows I was against it. I guess I thought the fact that she ran off the first time would be enough to make you realize I was right about her, and not make the same mistakes again. But if you want to anyway, I'm not going to try and stop you. I just had to speak my peace on the matter." He held a hand in the air, to signal an end to his tyrade.

"What about Mckenzie? She came out of my decision to keep a child and raise it with Sharpay." He looked his father in the eyes, "I know you love Mckenzie, and don't regret having her in your life."

"No, I don't regret having Mckenzie in my life Troy, not ever. But what are you going to gain this time Troy? Another child to raise by yourself after she's gone? And Mckenzie might regret having her in her own life if she does leave again."

"Excuse me," Sharpay spoke up, "But she has made it clear that she very much wants me in her life, and I am her mother. I have rights."

"Rights?" Jack scoffed, "You've never been a mother to her. As far as I'm concerned, you have no rights at all, and I don't know any court of law that would disagree with me, despite the type of threats you've been throwing in Troy's face."

Sharpay glanced over at Troy, a shocked look on her face as if somehow stunned that the content of their arguments had been shared with his immediate family members, and not kept sacred between the two of them.

"Dad, I want to be with Sharpay. I want us to try and make things work, and I want us to raise Mckenzie together. You already know why I came here-"

"Yes! To try and show Barbie here how much Mckenzie's family means to her." Jack shook his head, "Clearly though, family has never been a top priority for her. And no matter what, there's nothing you can show her to make her start putting you or Mckenzie before herself."

"I put Mckenzie before myself just by coming here!" Sharpay insisted.

"As well you should have!" Jack shouted back.

The older of the two men redirected his attention back towards his son after Sharpay fell silent again, "Look, I have no intentions of trying to stop you two from trying to repair your family. You don't need my blessing, and you've already heard my advice on the matter. Do what you will with it."

Sharpay made a small coughing sound, and then muttered under her breath, "Let's just go."

* * *

"Bye sweet girl." Lucille hugged Mckenzie goodbye.

Sharpay glanced over at Troy's mother, who she had barely gotten a chance to speak to throughout the duration of their half hour visit. Lucille glanced up at her, but said nothing of regretting that the two hadn't gotten more time to become reaccquainted.

"Bye Gammy." Mckenzie looked dissapointed to be parting with her grandmother so soon, but didn't seem to mind getting out of the tense situation at hand involving the grown-ups in her life.

Sharpay knelt down, bundling Mckenzie up in the coat she was now holding, something Lucille had apparently purchased for her. Lucille helped her pull Mckenzie's arms through the sleeves, and the two brushed hands for an instance, both quickly withdrawing, as if the contact had burned their skin.

"Good." Lucille said satisfactorily once Mckenzie was buttoned up in the garment, "It's cold outside. Daddy, why wasn't she wearing more than this little dress?" She smiled up at Troy.

"Sharpay dressed her." He answered.

Sharpay's face flushed a deep red, and she abruptly stood on her feet, gripping Mckenzie's hand tightly while she tried to keep traces of dark emotions away from her face.

"We can all do lunch some time soon." Lucille suggested, in an effort to keep the peace, "Maybe when your father's not in such a crabby mood."

She glared over at her husband as she said this, while Jack stood rigid, refusing to appologize for the words he had spoken truthfully.

Everyone muttered goodbyes, all sounding resentful for different reasons, and then Troy and Sharpay stepped out onto the porch with their daughter, into the indeed cool evening air.

* * *

A/N: Forgive me, for this author's note is going to be a record breaker for length.

TeamTroy: My intentions have never been at any point to glorify Sharpay's actions, or to imply that they were acceptable even when held under the light of unconditional love. However, I have made an effort to get my readers to accept that there are two sides to every story, and to present both sides fairly. Nobody is perfect, and Troy hasn't been an absolute saint throughout this story, even if his behavior has surpassed Sharpay's.

I realize that I am handling some controversial subject matter in this story. However, your frustration with it (like several other readers, whom I've already responded to in the past because they logged in before reviewing) has nothing to do with the topic of child abandonment. In fact, many of my Sharpay bashers have failed to acknowledge Mckenzie at all. I understand that you feel for Troy, and you don't want to see him groveling on the floor to kiss Sharpay's feet. However, I could accuse you of the same action you think I'm guilty of: placing one character on a pedestal, with complete disregard for the others' thoughts and feelings. (For the record, I don't feel as if I've done this with Sharpay. But that's my opinion against yours.)

As for Troy, obviously he has been hurt by Sharpay, and rightfully very angry with her. But if he truly loves her, and she and her daughter love each other, there reaches a point where he would be sacrificing his chances at happiness and a family, for the sake of petty pride. Forgiveness does not mean saying that what someone who wronged you did was okay. It means agreeing to move past it, and love that person anyway. That's very hard to do, and in my opinion, does take a backbone.

I've never felt while writing this as if I were trying to "live vicariously" through Sharpay either. However, while I am aware that I am "indeed the author," I do in a sense live in the characters heads while writing. But I have to assume that's what every author does, otherwise dialogue would be a shallow, detached spew of words based on the way a character _should _feel and react, and not how they more realistically would in the given scenario. I've already seen Disney's take on these characters. I didn't like the way the story ended, that's why I'm here writing this.

Let me finish by saying that this _is _a romance, hatched and developed in my own mind, and therefore, in a sense I suppose it is my own romantic fantasy. But the substantial plot has been added in the mix to add drama for both entertainment value, and to challenge my own writing talents. I guess I failed if this is, as you say, "a story with such potential (that) winds into such a significant disappointment." I'm a seventeen year old girl, and there's a reason I'm writing HSM fics on fanfiction rather than penning New York Times best sellers. Maybe someday.

If I were truly trying to live my life through Sharpay in this story, not only would I be pathetic (and let me add I do resent that accusation for the implications it brings that I don't have a life of my own. I think that's an inaccurate stereotype of members of the site. I have a very nice social life, I just happen to enjoy writing, and I suspect most teenagers spend as much time watching television as I do working on these stories. This is actually a more constructive use of time.) but I would also not have in anyway carried the plot out in the fashion that I have. Although I can't say for sure, as I've never been put through the situation, and am not a mother, I don't think I would ever be capable of leaving my own child. And even beyond that, I wouldn't have Troy saying any of the hateful things he has throughout this story.

I suppose if I wrote a story from the perspective of an axe murderer, you'd think I wanted to be one too.

My appologies for making this A/N truly long enough to be a chapter itself. But I felt these were things I should probably address, as this most recent anonymous reviewer hasn't been the only one to present similar view points in regards to Sharpay and Troy's interactions and behavior. If you read all of it, thanks, and I'll try to refrain from doing this again.

Please, please review (even if it's to bitch at me for writing such a long A/N!) I am having a truly awful day, and if you want to make it better, you'll send me a little love.

Oh! And everyone go check out my new cofic with MrsRoy: Dark Side of the Rainbow

Lots of love and x's and o's, and thanks for the continued support, A.


	20. Chapter 20

"Does Mommy live here now?"

Troy and Sharpay exchanged sideways glances, both perched on the edge of their daughter's lace embroidered down comforter.

"Mommy's visiting, and while she's here, she's staying with you and Daddy." Sharpay was the first to answer, and then stood up, intending to put away the book her and Troy had been reading to Mckenzie together as a bedtime story.

"Does that mean you're going to leave again soon?"

Sharpay froze, and turned around again to face her daughter, chewing on her lower lip with worry, while Troy wrung his hands in his lap.

"'Kenz, Mommy's not going to leave." Troy stepped in, "But she might have to go away for a little bit, for work. We don't know yet."

"Can I go with Mommy when she goes away for work?" She squirmed, shifting herself to sit upright in bed.

"Uh..." Sharpay gaped at her little girl, caught between a rock and a hard place, not wanting to upset Mckenzie or Troy.

"You don't want to miss school here, or not get to see your uncle and grandparents, do you?" Troy sounded choked, and purposefully left his own name out of the list, to save himself hurt in case it was shot down.

"I guess not..." Mckenzie frowned, "But I love Mommy so much, and I'd miss her so bad."

Sharpay stared down at the hardwood floor, wrought with guilt.

Troy's nostrils flared, "We'll figure everything out 'Kenz."

Sharpay nodded, satisfied with the time being with his resolution, even though it was inconclusive, merely a time saver until they further evaluated things. She shuddered to think of how that later 'evaluation' would go down, sure it would lead to arguing between the two of them.

She shrugged this away, and walked back over to Mckenzie, giving her a kiss on the forehead, "Good night baby."

"Night 'Kenz." Troy gave her a second kiss, and stood up with Sharpay, walking towards the door.

He flipped the light switch off, and Mckenzie called out, "Leave the door cracked," as if he needed a nightly reminder.

"Sleep tight." Troy replied, before stepping out of the room, Sharpay in tow.

"What's next?" Sharpay tried to sound upbeat, not wanting to revisit Mckenzie's question for the time being.

"I actually still have some paperwork I brought home with me. If you're tired, you can go on to bed. I'll be up in a little while." He sighed, dreading the extra work he still had to do, and cursing his job.

Sharpay pouted her lips out prettily, "I don't want to go to bed without you."

She leaned in, pressing her body up against his, and moved her lips to be a mere inch apart from his.

She breathed softly, "I want you to come to bed with me."

She dipped her lips in, kissing him once, timidly poking her tongue in as if she needed his permission.

The kiss burned him, her lips searing his, the painfully slow movement of it being too much for him to handle. His hands flew out, gripping her waist tightly, pulling her close against him, and moaning from loss of contact when she pulled away.

She looked up at him, her amber eyes glittering, "Please?"

"Okay." Troy fell into her, always too weak to resist, and pushed aside thoughts of the looming work load he would now have to tackle in the wee hours of the morning.

She kissed him again, her hands reaching up to his shoulders, giving him one push and then another, shoving him into his bedroom, and then shutting the door behind them with a click.

* * *

Troy squinted at the glowing green light of his alarm clock in the darkness of the bedroom. 2 am.

He knew he had to finish the paperwork to hand into his boss in the morning, exhausted as he was now. He glanced down at Sharpay, her head rested on his chest while she was deep in slumber, her eyes occasionally moving behind her lids. He felt slightly envious of her, able to sleep without care while he had tedious work to attend to. The next morning she would be able to spend the day playing with their daughter while he slaved away at a job he hated. Her biggest worry at the moment was when she would be able to return to her life of fortune and fame, and convincing her family to follow her back to it. Even if he adamantly refused to go with her to California, he had a feeling everything would work out in her favor in the end anyhow. It seemed Sharpay Evans always came out on top.

He gently slid her nude form out of his arms, her head dropping into the mattress when she no longer had the support of his torso. He chuckled and lifted her upper body up, moving her head to rest on the pillow.

He kissed her forehead, and then found some clothes for himself, slipping them on before sneaking out the bedroom door, and downstairs.

It was 4 in the morning, when he slipped back into the bed for a couple more hours of rest. Sharpay was still spawled out on what was usually his side of the bed, so he climbed in on the other side, then pulled her back into his arms, wanting to sleep close with her. She let out a grunt in her sleep, in protest of being moved, and Troy rubbed her back soothingly until her body relaxed again, and her head fell into the crook of his neck.

"I love you Sharpay." He whispered to her.

He kissed her lips once, and they twitched slightly in response.

He then closed his eyes, and began to nod off, relishing in the feel of her chest slowly rising and falling against his as she breathed, and the sounds of the occasional murmurs and sighs she emitted in her sleep. In no time at all, he was far away in dream land, his last conscious thought a prayer, that he could fall asleep this way, with her in his arms, for the rest of his life.

* * *

"Hi Katherine." Sharpay sighed, clutching her phone so tight in her hand that her knuckles were white.

She was perched on the foot of Troy's bed, wearing one of his sweatshirts while she resisted the urge to bite at her manicured nails.

"Sharpay!" Her publicist hissed, preparing to give her the scolding she deserved, "I supported the notion of going away for a family vacation, and I get that you needed some 'me' time. But you haven't answered or returned a single one of my calls! I didn't know which rumors to confirm or deny, and you haven't been photographed in all of two weeks! The only shot I saw of you in the last US Weekly was some crappy shot some lucky bitch took on her camera phone of you in a New Mexico mall with some little girl."

"Right..." Sharpay sighed, preparing to drop the motherload of secrets on her, the type of thing you always confided in with your publicist, should the issue ever present itself, and need to be tackled professionally.

"I assume you're calling to let me know you're back in town, thank God."

Katherine Rosenburg, a middle aged Jewish woman about as thin as the ciggarettes she smoked, had been an excelent publicist in terms of boosting Sharpay's fame to incredible heights in a remarkably short amount of time. However, Sharpay paid the cost in that throughout the duration of her acting career, she had hardly ever been allowed to turn down a magazine shoot, or decline to attend a premiere, leaving little time for her personal life. In the past few years, it had been more of a relief than a burden, distracting her from the absence of her family, and her lack of many personal relationships in general. But now, she was dreading having to deal with Katherine as she rearranged her life and priorities, and tried to place a focus on the family her publicist didn't even know existed.

"Not exactly. I'm actually thinking about staying in Albuquerque through Christmas." Sharpay closed her eyes after revealing the news, waiting for a backlash.

"Christmas?" Katherine exclaimed, "That's another three weeks away! Sharpay you're not working on any projects at the moment, you need to at least keep your face in magazines for the time being."

"I just released a movie!" Sharpay defended her career, her voice raising an octave.

"Which has been only a minor success in the box office!"

Sharpay massaged her temple with one hand, not wanting to think about the stress of keeping her career a float at the moment.

"Look, there's something I probably should have told you three years ago when I first hired you..."

"Nude photos?" The publicist interrupted, "Is someone threatening to leak them? We can handle that, they'll probably take a reasonable sum of money and hand over their computer."

"No, it's-"

"Past drug addictions? That's easy. We just have to formulate a sob story about a bad home life and a lonely girl with nowhere else to turn to. We can turn your current sobriety into heroism if we play our cards right."

"No." Sharpay sighed, "It's a much bigger secret."

"Well what is it Shar, you're killing me with the suspense!" Katherine snapped, followed by the distinct sound of a lighter striking near the phone, meaning that a ciggarette was now caught between her lips, shutting them for a moment and giving Sharpay a chance to speak.

"I have a daughter." She curled her legs up underneath her, sticking her free hand into the front pocket of Troy's hoodie, while she still kept her phone pressed tightly to her ear, waiting for a reaction on the other end of the line.

"Shit Shar!" Katherine let out a long breath into the phone, and through the static Sharpay could swear she could almost taste the unfiltered smoke.

"How old's the thing?"

Sharpay winced, slightly uncomfortable with hearing her daughter being referred to as a 'thing.'

"Mckenzie." She corrected, "She's four."

"So you had her before your career jumpstarted? How did you manage to swing a secret baby?"

"She lives with her father. Here in Albuquerque." Sharpay felt a heat creeping to her cheeks, having to reveal to yet another person the truth about her relationship with her only child.

"Oh, Daddy raised her all on his own then?" Katherine asked, her raspy voice lined with assumption, rather than curiosity.

"Well, yeah." Sharpay conceded, trying desperately to swallow down the guilt, but finding that her mouth had run dry in her anxiety towards sharing her secret.

"So what is this 'family vacation' then, a Mommy/Daughter reconciliation?" The woman let out a cackle, "Sharpay, don't you worry, we've struck gold here!"

"Gold?" The uncertainty in Sharpay's voice was evident. She didn't see the situation as anything of the sort.

"Absolutely! I make a couple calls, and every magazine will be bidding to get the first exclusive photo shoot of Sharpay Evans' daughter! This is better than first baby pics, it's a four year old child that's been kept secret from the world! Along side it, an interview with you, where you detail the hardships of following your dream all while flying back and forth every weekend to be with your daughter, and achieving a career in acting against all odds, which allowed you to support your little darling." Katherine took another drag from her cigarette.

"Well, that's not exactly how it happened." Sharpay piped in softly.

"Doesn't matter. It is now. Don't worry Shar, I'll work with you and help you figure out exactly what to say, just give me a day or two. Let's see, you kept the kid out of the public's eye, because that's what the father wanted. You didn't want to exploit your child. Oh, that's good!" The woman declared with self satisfaction, "Child exploitation is a social hot button at the moment. I think people will accept that. We'll paint you up like this struggling mother, but with a love for your daughter that surpasses all else... You know we'll need a reason to explain why we're letting the cat out of the bag now..."

"I don't know." Sharpay tried to step in, knowing the child exploitation concept probably wasn't too far off the wall when it came to Troy's feelings. She wasn't sure he would support the idea of his daughter's face plastered across a magazine cover, being sold in every grocery store and gas station in the country.

"I've got it! So you and Daddy were both young parents. Daddy kept the baby while he encouraged you to pursue your dreams. He wanted you to be happy, and you wanted to support little baby at home. You and Daddy had an agreement that as soon as you could afford it, he'd come out to California and join you, and you'd raise baby together. But something went wrong. Daddy refuses to come, and tries to keep baby from you. Maybe he finds a new girlfriend and she's part of the problem. I don't know, I'll think on it and polish it up before you do your interview. Bottom line is, you and Daddy aren't getting along any more, you're fighting to keep your daughter, and now you finally have her, and can't keep her a secret anymore in LA."

"Troy's a great dad though..." Sharpay couldn't stand the thought of hurting him like she knew she would if she placed national blame on him for the one thing that had already caused him more suffering than anything else, her absence in Mckenzie's life.

"Troy? Is that his name? Well don't worry about it. We'll leave his name out. No harm done." Katherine's hoarse voice answered dismisively, "We could make a million dollars off this Sharpay, easy!"

"You really think so?" Sharpay's voice perked up.

"Sure! Even better, this is great publicity. You'll be all the tabloids can talk about, all the entertainment shows will be begging you for interviews! As soon as we let this news out, you'll be free to spend Christmas with your family. We could even get a segment on television, I bet, with you and the kid spending Christmas eve together. How do you feel about letting cameras into your home?"

"But the thing is. The father and I, aren't exactly... apart at the moment." Sharpay wasn't exactly sure how to explain her and Troy's relationship at the time, but knew it was best not to play up the 'single mom' niche too much, if that wasn't what she was going to be. And of course, there was the issue of Troy not allowing her to take Mckenzie to California with her at all, with or without him. These personal family issues weren't things she felt like explaining in full to her publicist.

"Oh! So you want Daddy's name featured then? We'll just change up the story some then. The same general idea, only now the two of you are finally reaching your happy ending. That's sweet." Katherine commented, her voice entirely apathetic.

"Well I'm not sure that we are though. We've been struggling. That's why I really need until after Christmas to give you my answer, and we can proceed with the interview from there." Sharpay hoped this would suffice, extremely stressed already at the thought of losing popularity as an actress, but trying her best to place focus on her family first.

"I see." Katherine let a small groan out into the phone, "Fine. Take the extra time to spend with your baby daddy and little girl. But as soon as you've reached a decision, I want you to call me. I'll already have everything set up for your interview by then."

"Okay." Sharpay replied, both relieved and grateful to be given the extra time, "I will. I'll call you."

"All right then Shar. Have fun with little... I'm sorry what was her name again?"

"Mckenzie." Sharpay smiled, ready to hang up the phone and go wake her little girl up. She realized that this was the first time she had spoken with someone outside of her immediate family about Mckenzie, and it created a strong sort of nostalgia, which filled her with emotions, and a need to hug her daughter tight.

"Mckenzie?" Katherine repeated skeptically, "Hm... It's not really a Hollywood child name. I don't see you picking it."

"I didn't." Sharpay confirmed, "Her father named her. He named her while I was going into labor, and the only thing I cared about at the time was pushing the baby out."

"Huh. Sounds awful. Well, I suppose we could do something with it. Give her a nickname. 'Mac Evans.' 'Little Mac.'" Katherine delivered her somewhat unoriginal vision with gusto.

"Her last name is Bolton." Sharpay corrected, "Like her father."

"Not to the public it's not. Her last name is your last name. Mckenzie Evans." Katherine suddenly let out a wheezing cough, and then sputtered, "I've got to go. Call me."

Sharpay listened to the beep as the call ended, and then sighed, standing up so that she could go wish her daughter a good morning.

* * *

"Troy, can we talk?" Sharpay was seated at the kitchen table, beside her daughter, where the two had been drawing pictures with Mckenzie's crayons, while Troy unloaded the dishwasher.

Troy had just gotten home approximately fifteen minutes earlier, and was hoping for just a few moments to relax, but he could tell there had been something on Sharpay's mind all day, and decided it was best to let her talk now if she needed to.

"Alone." She clarified.

Mckenzie huffed, "I hope one of these days, you guys stop needing so much alone time."

She stood up from the table, abandoning her half-finished artwork, and stormed upstairs, causing both of her parents to chuckle.

"What's up?" Troy started to sit down at the table across from her, but suddenly had unpleasant flashes to their last conversation at the kitchen table.

"Do you mind if we move this into the living room?" He asked, as if somehow being seated on a couch mean their conversation was destined to go over better.

"Sure." She replied, standing up and walking with him to the next room over.

Once seated she started, "Troy, I don't want to hide the fact that I have a daughter from the world any longer."

Troy nodded along in agreement to a notion he thought she had already established.

"Nobody knows that Sharpay Evans, the actress, has a child." Sharpay stated, hoping that if she led him in that direction, there might be a slight chance he would come up with the same idea as her publicist on his own.

"Right..." Troy trailed off, and then his eyes suddenly widened in revelation, "Wait, you want to reveal your daughter to the world, as in literally, the whole entire world?"

"My publicist wants to do a magazine cover, with photos of her and an interview, detailing my past." She clasped her hands together, holding them up to her chest and sending him a visual plea, "You don't mind do you?"

"How are they going to talk about your past? Won't that ruin you, to admit you walked out on your daughter?" He wasn't sure whether he should be proud of her, for taking the initiative and deciding to quit the double life once and for all, or angry, for binding his daughter into something he wasn't sure he supported.

"Well, we're going to rearrange the story slightly to make it more flattering." She admitted.

"Slightly?" He rolled his eyes, "Oh, I see. So you're not exactly coming clean."

"I am, just in the way I have to in order to keep my reputation in tact." She bit her lip, "The thing is, what I say is going to depend on where you and I stand, and I don't really know where that is at the moment."

Troy rolled his eyes, and released a noise of irritation before answering, "Neither do I Sharpay."

"Don't we need to figure that out soon?" She pressed, "I can't take all of this uncertainty. I just want us to make a definite plan for the future, custody arrangements, living arrangements, and relationship arrangements. Everything."

Troy shifted his eyes over to her, observing her, his eyes running over her face while she trembled slightly under the intensity of his stare.

"You know I love you." He said finally.

He leaned over, pressing his lips to her forehead, and keeping them there, latching one hand into her blonde hair and holding fast.

Sharpay managed to lean back enough to look up and meet her eyes with his, watching him expectantly.

"Then what are we going to do?"

* * *

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews last chapter. Please, please keep them coming. There would be no point in publishing all these stories if I didn't want feedback.

I'm going to keep writing this story the way I've intended to all along, but I hope y'all don't _hate _Sharpay by the end of it. She is still flawed, but it's important to me to keep her true to character in this situation, and I'm trying my best to do that. Hopefully I can change the bashers mind by the end of this.

Review. :)

xoxo.


	21. Chapter 21

Sharpay was perched on the edge of her mother's vintage white couch, seated on top of the middle cushion, while Troy was to the right of her. Darby Evans sat across from them in a plush chair, holding Mckenzie in her lap, while she stared her daughter down.

Somehow, Sharpay had let Troy talk her into coming to her parents' house for this reunion of sorts. He had told her he needed a little bit of time to mull over their relationship, and what their next move would be. He too wanted to keep her in New Mexico through Christmas, and had an ambitious plan of getting both families together this year for Mckenzie, something he hoped was not just a pipe dream.

Sharpay's father was away on business, shmoozing a couple of men who owned land he was hoping to purchase in pursuit of opening a new branch of Lava Springs in a valley outside of Albuquerque. This left her to face only her mother, with whom her relationship had always been slightly strained, even long before she had run out on her family.

"You know, you could have at least called home every once in a while. It's been as if I lost a child the past four years." Darby pursed her lips, regarding her daughter with disapproval, "Your father knows. He's had to help me through it."

"Sorry." Sharpay grumbled.

"I'm just thankful that Troy's made such an effort to keep Mckenzie in our lives." Darby continued, placing an affectionate kiss on the top of her granddaughter's head.

Mckenzie tilted her head back to look up at Darby, "Mommy's just been real busy with work," She informed her.

Darby glanced over at Sharpay again and clucked her tongue once, "I turned your old bedroom into a room for Mckenzie when she stays here."

"Hm." Sharpay wasn't even looking at her mother, but rather at the waxed and shining hard wood floor beneath her.

Troy nudged her gently, as if to urge her to be slightly more responsive.

Darby watched the interaction, before speaking again, "I must say, it's quite a miracle that Troy has been willing to even consider taking you back at this point."

"Huh?" Mckenzie flipped her head around to look at her grandmother, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing Darling." Darby dismissed her, and Mckenzie huffed, having yet another adult in her life exclude her from information towards the mystery that her mother was to her.

"I didn't come here to have this conversation." Sharpay spoke firmly, "I came here because Troy wants me to reconcile with family."

"Oh well that's wonderful Sharpay. I don't suppose you would come here because you actually wanted to see your mother!" Darby snapped.

Mckenzie squirmed, uncomfortable with the tension in the room, and Darby reluctantly let her down.

"I'm going to go play on the swingset." She informed Darby, who nodded her consent.

Mckenzie walked briskly out of the room, and Troy sighed, dissapointed to not have witnessed a happier moment between the three generations of females, like he had imagined in his head.

"Mother." Sharpay's jaw was clenched, as she forced the words out she knew both Troy and Darby wanted to hear, "I _do _want to see you. I've missed you. And I'm sorry."

Darby's crossed her ankles neatly, folding her hands in her lap, "Oh, I've missed you too, Pumpkin. I was just so hurt when you left without at least consulting me first."

"I know." Sharpay sighed heavily, unsure if she could handle any more guilt and face one more estranged family member.

She thought of her father, the one who had spoiled her rotten, called her his princess, and throughout the entirety of her life begged her not to ever grow up and leave him. She didn't know how she was going to deal with it if Vance was upset with her too. Even her own brother was now closer with Troy. Where would her refuge be? Would anybody be able to love her despite all else, after all she had done?

"Your father misses you terribly." Darby noted, as if reading her mind, "He talks about you all the time. He actually cried when I turned your bedroom into a room for Mckenzie, if you can believe that. He was keeping it as a shrine to you. He said I should have transformed one of the guest bedrooms. But I think I picked the right one."

Troy nodded in agreement, "Mckenzie loves that it's her mother's old bedroom."

He smiled, making eye contact with Sharpay, "Darby has a bunch of pictures in there of you when you were a little girl."

"She really does look so much like you at that age." Darby chimed in, "It's eerie at times. Of course, I can see her father in her too, but sometimes it's just as if I have my little Sharpay back in the house again."

"Well, they have so many similar mannerisms." Troy pointed out, "It was hard for me as she grew into a toddler, and she reminded me of Sharpay so often."

"I know." Darby grew silent, and it was clear she was lapsing into memory, her face adorned with the fragile smile that signaled nostalgia.

Finally, her eyes focused again, and they met with Sharpay's, "But this is it, right? You won't loose touch again?"

"No." Sharpay said with resolution, "Never again."

* * *

"No!" Mckenzie squirmed while Troy attempted to sit her in front of the piano for the fourth time that night, "I don't want to practice."

"You never do." Troy grumbled.

Sharpay chuckled, standing in the doorframe of the small extra living space where the instrument sat. She remembered Troy coming home with it during the later stage of her pregnancy, after purchasing it used from some church.

"Mommy's the one who wanted you to learn piano." Troy informed Mckenzie, hoping that would persuade her. 'Mommy wants you to' seemed to be a phrase more effective than the classic, 'It's for big girls' line.

Mckenzie turned her head back to look at Sharpay, wanting to verify this first hand, "Really."

Sharpay nodded, stepping forward into the room, and sitting down on the bench beside her daughter, "Mommy wished she would have learned how to play when she was young, but Grandma let her quit everything."

"Oh." Mckenzie let out a sigh of dissapointment, clearly still not thrilled about being made to practice, but reluctantly she placed her finger down on a key, and began to shakily make her way through the simple composition in front of her.

Sharpay smiled warmly as she watched her little girl, and then turned to look at Troy, "What else does she do?"

"Huh?" Troy's vision was angled out of the room, lost in thought, and he blinked as he snapped back into reality.

"Tap, voice lessons, children's theater, I don't know... soccer? Does she do anything else?" Sharpay hadn't thought much into Mckenzie's day to day life since arriving, having been so keen on merely making herself a part of it from here on out.

"Oh..." Troy lowered his eyes guiltily, "She doesn't. It's not that I wouldn't like her to, but I don't have the time to take her to do all those things with my schedule, not to mention pay for it. I chose piano because it was important to you, and she can practice here at home."

"If it's important to you Mommy, I'll keep playing." Mckenzie announced, flipping the page in her beginner player's book, and starting another rocky song.

"Thank you baby." Sharpay leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, and then turned her attention back to Troy.

"Well, I could take her to some new things." She offered, "I mean, as long as she's living with me. She could do all those things I mentioned, and more..."

Troy's nostrils flared as he thought it over, "Yeah I suppose that could be nice for her..."

He was suddenly torn, between all he had been able to provide Mckenzie with here that he still wanted to give to her, and all the ideal promises Sharpay was making to win him over with, but accompanied with the prerequisite of first allowing Mckenzie to move out to California with her.

* * *

"Mhm... Sharpay. Maybe we should... mhm... talk about... mmph." Troy struggled to get a word in while Sharpay had him pinned on his back on the bed, straddling him while she kissed his mouth hungrily.

"Talk?" She said the word as if it were of a foreign language, lifting her torso off him.

Of course, she had been the one to urge him to talk things over with her, and form a definite plan for the future. But it was now dark outside, a point in time where her mind shut off and she became focused on one thing only.

"Yes, talk." Troy sat up to, so that she was now straddling his lap, and he leaned forward and pecked her lips, "About Mckenzie, and about us."

"Oh." Sharpay sighed, still focused on a more primitive urge, but she nodded, "Yeah, I guess we need to."

"I've been thinking about the publicity stunt." Troy started.

"It's not a 'stunt.'" Sharpay quickly jumped in, interrupting him, "It's the means by which I have to go by in order to merge my two lives together, and stop hiding my daughter from the world."

"I just don't know that I'm comfortable with it." Troy admitted, "I mean, I do understand the sentiment behind it, but I'm not sure if I like the idea of my four year old being thrust into child stardom she didn't ask for."

"Well then what am I supposed to do, Troy? Live a double life? Leave her here to live with you, which God knows won't make you happy, remain a single girl without a family while I work, and come home to visit on holidays?" Her voice was rapidly rising all ready, and Troy stroked her hair gently, in an effort to placate her.

"Maybe you could do the interview, just without photos of Mckenzie." Troy suggested, his tone a bargaining one, not wanting Sharpay to upset.

"No, my publicist says the magazines are going to be fighting for the first photos of Mckenzie." She argued, "If I want to milk this story, I'm going to need her featured."

"Sharpay!" Troy pushed her off of his lap so that he could sit upright, "It's not about 'milking the story,' this is about your daughter."

"I know that Troy! But this is a very delicate matter. A secret child could very well ruin me. Looking at pictures of me with my little girl will create an emotional reaction out of the public. Pictures of the two of us smiling lovingly at each other will make my story about flying back on weekends to see my daughter and working hard to support her believable. Otherwise they might think I just walked out on her, and am suddenly wanting her back in my life now."

Troy scoffed in disbelief, "But that _is _the real story!"

"Troy, I know you understand why I can't come forward with that real story." She looked him in the eyes, internally begging him to just give in to her so that they didn't have to experience another emotionally charged confrontation.

"I do understand that." Troy sighed, "But why can't you just do the fake story without Mckenzie's pictures?"

"I just told you why! I need to build an emotional connection with the fans! And if I don't show my daughter's face, then she's still a secret. If I come forward as planned, this could be the biggest entertainment story of the year! I'd be talked about constantly! Can't you see what that would do for me?" She pouted, hoping he would give in at her insistence.

This time, though, he didn't take the bait, "Yes Sharpay, I do understand how beneficial this would be for you and what it would do for your fame. Okay. I'll take that into consideration. But I want you to talk this over with me, thinking only about how it could affect Mckenzie. That's my biggest concern right now, and I feel like you haven't even thought that through."

She swallowed, "I think it would be good for her..."

"Why?" Troy snapped.

Sharpay faltered, struggling for something convincing to say.

"Damn it!" Troy climbed off the bed, standing up, needing his distance from her, "You can't do it, can you? You can't seperate your own wants and needs and focus just on your daughter's! I keep wanting to think that you can be a good mother, but you just can't get past your own self absorbency can you?"

"Troy!" She stood up too, and attempted to touch his shoulder, hoping some form of physical contact might bring him back over to her side.

Troy jumped back from her touch, however, and began to pace, walking away from her, "You can't change. Why can't I see that? I keep letting you manipulate me and make me think that I can. But it's just another selfish thing you do. You end up getting me to put your needs before everything else too."

"I haven't been trying to manipulate you, Troy, I swear!" Her voice cracked, and she tried again to place a hand on him, again failing when he jumped back, "I just wanted you to love me again! When you loved me, I was the center of your universe..."

"It looks like you're always going to be doesn't it?" He let out a bitter chuckle, "You know I love you already Sharpay. You've known all along. You don't stop until you've got me down on my hands and knees kissing your feet, and eventually I reach a point where I don't even want to get up again. I love you, okay? I love you so much that now that you're back again I can't believe I was able to get up every morning the past four years and carry on a routine without you."

He shuffled across the bedroom floor, an action that had always helped him think. His thoughts poured out in words this time, before he had a chance to organize them, or think better of some.

"So what then? The peg is moving up another notch? I can't have you unless I let you uproot me and my daughter and move us out to California with you, and now I've got to support you in an exploitation of Mckenzie that's going to make _you _more famous? I can't believe I thought you had good intentions when you told me you didn't want to keep her from the world anymore. You were only thinking about yourself. It's all you're capable of."

"Troy, I _did _mean what I said. I love Mckenzie, and I am thinking of her! I want to be her mother. I want to her to be with me always. People are going to get pictures of her soon enough anyway. She's the child of an actress, and if you want me to be her parent, she's going to get attention from photographers and the public. You may not like it, but it's going to happen."

"But you're not really a parent." Troy shook his head, "I knew you were self-centered from day one. I fell in love with you anyway. I'll always love you, and I don't mind putting your needs ahead of my own. But I thought that once we had our baby, you would put her, just one other person, before yourself. I understand why you want to do this photoshoot for you, and it's fine that you've thought about what it could gain you. But I just wanted to see you detach yourself from the situation, and think solely about your daughter and how you feel about putting her, just her, in that situation."

"Troy this is spinning out of control!" Sharpay sat down on the bed, hoping if she stopped their movement, his mind would stop working at such a frenzied rate, and he would slow down and begin to rationalize again, "We were just talking."

"I know. But I realized you're not going to do it." He looked infinitely distraught as he voiced this revelation, "It's not even your own fault. It's me and all the other people who have let you spend your whole life getting away with this selfish behavior. You don't even realize it anymore."

He sighed, and sat down on the bed beside her, holding his hands in his lap, and staring down at them.

"I think my dad was right. You're good at playing big sister, and Mckenzie does love you. I think it's best if Mckenzie and I stay here. You can come and visit her whenever you want, buy her outfits, take her out to dinner at fancy resturants. I'll do the real parenting, and you can do the stuff you like to do. Maybe she can come stay with you some over the summer or something."

Sharpay was rapidly shaking her head back and forth the entire time she spoke, "No. No, no, no. I don't _want _to be her big sister. I want to be her mother!"

She looked at him, tearily, "And what about you and me? I need you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, desperately clinging to him, and despite himself, Troy had her wrapped tightly in his embrace within an instant, "Then stay here. Just stay with me Sharpay."

He kissed the top of her head several times, his hand stroking through her blonde tresses, "I'll take care of you. I can take care of both of you here. If you had her out in Los Angeles I'd always have to worry, but not here. I swear I don't care if you ever lift a finger again. Just live here and play games with Mckenzie, take her to tap dancing classes and help her do musical theater. Turn her into an exact replica of you. Just stay."

Sharpay pulled her face away from his, wiping at her own tears, "But I don't want to be taken care of Troy. I don't want to be stuck here everyday, living out the life sentence of a surburban housewife. There were multiple reasons why I was so unhappy before I left, but we both know being denied the chance to follow my dreams was one of them."

Troy's face was stony, his body feeling cold now that she was no longer pressed up against him, "Here Mckenzie has family, multiple people who are all willing to think of her before themselves. Your life is a completely different world, and I'm sorry, but I just don't trust your ability to look out for her best interest."

"I _am _her mother Troy!" Sharpay stood up, glowering down at him, "I thought we were going to make this decision together! You treat me like a child."

"It's because you act like a child!" Troy snapped.

She stared down at him, boring into him with her eyes, and then suddenly turned on her heels, storming out of the room and slamming his bedroom door so loudly the entire house shook.

Troy sat on the bed motionless for sometime afterwards, wondering if he had made a mistake. Brash didn't begin to explain how he had acted, but whenever she displayed what he saw as her inability to be a proper mother, he began to feel hopeless, and he had panicked on this particular night, worried that he was allowing himself to second Mckenzie's needs as well, placing his desire for Sharpay before all else.

He lay back on the bed, feeling both emotionally and physically exhausted, accompanied by an hollow emptiness that was worsened when he couldn't reach for Sharpay and pull her into his arms, an act that had already grown habitual again over the short period of time he was able to do so.

He wasn't sure that he had made the wrong decision long term, but he did feel guilty for denying Sharpay her part in making it, and for once again making her feel as if she had no rights to motherhood. As he could feel his eyelids closing, shutting out his concious state of unhappiness, he made a resolution to find her tomorrow, and give her a chance to speak. Their conversations always seemed to go over better in the daytime anyway.

* * *

"Mckenzie." Sharpay gently nudged her daughter.

"Mommy?" The little girl sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, "What was that banging noise?"

"Nothing, baby. Come on, you're going with Mommy tonight." She gently lifted her daughter out of bed, setting her on the floor.

She quickly packed up a bag for Mckenzie, while the four year old stood staring at her in a daze.

"Tonight?" She asked, "Isn't it late?"

"Yeah, it's late. But you and Mommy are going to take a little vacation." She tried to smile encouragingly at her, while she thrust the hastily thrown together bag over her shoulder, and reached down to hoist Mckenzie on her hip.

"Is Daddy coming?" Mckenzie asked.

Sharpay shook her head, and then placed a finger to her lips, "No, this is just going to be some Mommy-Daughter time. And Daddy's sleeping, so let's be very quiet so we don't wake him, okay?"

The little girl nodded in agreement, and Sharpay carried her silently out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the front door into the cold night.

* * *

A/N: Cue exciting violin music. Do you think Sharpay will go through with running off with her daughter before Troy has a chance to talk to her?

I was a little dissapointed with the reviews last chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who left one, but I'm just hoping for a few more this chapter? Also, and this probably won't be the last time I advertise this, but if everyone could please go check out my new Troypay cofic, Dark Side of the Rainbow. We're not getting nearly as many reviews on that as I would like.

Anyway, enough of whoring myself for comments. Thanks so much for reading, and I hoped y'all liked.

xoxo.


	22. Chapter 22

"Now boarding first class for flight 409 to Los Angeles."

Sharpay blinked wearily, exhausted after waiting several hours for the five a.m. flight. After checking her rental back in with the airport, she'd had no choice but to doze among the black leather seats in the waiting area, one of the few people there at such an absurd time. Around four in the morning, more people on her flight had begun to liter in, many staring at Sharpay and Mckenzie, who was sprawled out asleep on a blanket Sharpay had laid out on the floor, wondering if they were just delirious to be up so early that they were imagining the movie star in front of them. One by one, they had trickled away from Sharpay, each deciding that it was merely a strong resembelance.

Sharpay stood up from her seat, stretching out her limbs like a cat, and bending down to scoop Mckenzie off the unsanitary carpet, a place she might have not allowed Mckenzie to rest, had she been more coherent herself at the time.

In just a couple of hours, Troy's alarm would sound off, and he would wake up for work. He would probably stumble into his bathroom first, shower and brush his teeth, under the delusion that his daughter was still asleep in bed across the hall. Then, after he had dressed himself, he would walk to Mckenzie's room, prepared to wake and greet her, and get her dressed and ready for pre-school. But when he opened the door, he would find her bed empty and abandoned.

Sharpay felt a sharp pang in her heart, and she stared down at the four year old in her arms, then back at the few other passengers that were boarding, feeling frozen at the spot, and second guessing herself. Maybe, she thought, she should turn back now, take Mckenzie home to Troy and try again to talk things out with him.

But she had already turned in her rental car, and by the time she had checked out another one, or found a cab to drive her the half hour back to Troy's house, he would be up for work, and catch her bringing Mckenzie home. She was going to take the blame for kidnapping Troy's daughter regardless, and there would be no way afterwards that he would let her persuade him to take Mckenzie to California. If she continued now, then Troy would have no choice but to come out to California to come get her, and when he did he would see that she had done a fine job being a mother on her own, and that he had been wrong to question her.

She nodded decidedly to herself. The ends justified the means in this case, she told herself, and things would be better in the end if she continued with her plan.

"If you are a first class passenger to Los Angeles, you should be boarding the plane now."

Supporting Mckenzie with her hip and one arm, she knelt down again, to hook her carry-on over her shoulder, mentally chanting words of self-encouragement to herself, trying to ignore the nagging dread nestled in the pit of her stomach, everytime she pictured Troy standing alone in his daughter's vacant bedroom.

* * *

"Pick up your goddamn phone!" Troy yelled as Sharpay's voicemail appologized for missing his call for the twelfth time, while he bounced anxiously on the foot of Mckenzie's bed.

His heart was beating so fast he was sure it would burst out of his chest at any moment, while his blood pumped furiously to fuel his emotions of rage and fear. The first time Sharpay had left, she had left her phone behind. He had only become privy to her current number since she had come back. What if she changed it again? He had walked the streets of LA, with no luck in tracking Sharpay down. What if she dissapeared with his daughter indefinitely? Who knew how long it would be until he was able to track them down.

His fingers flew fast as he typed out a text:

Mckenzie is missing. If you don't at least let me know you have her in the next thirty minutes, I'm calling the cops.

Perspiration was seeping from his every pore. What if Sharpay hadn't run off with his daughter last night? He felt physically sick to even begin to imagine the other possibilities, and he pushed them far away immediately. He wouldn't go there unless he had to. Sharpay must have taken Mckenzie last night. Maybe she was just at Ryan's. He nodded to himself, trying to be convincing. The two were at his brother-in-law's asleep, and while he would be angry at Sharpay for taking his daughter without asking him, all would be right again by tonight, with Mckenzie in the bed he now sat on, where she belonged.

But sheer intuition told him otherwise. Sharpay had snatched Mckenzie out of bed last night on an impulse, and somehow Troy knew that she was running back to Los Angeles as soon as possible.

His phone buzzed, and he scrambled frantically to unlock his screen and read the text message.

Sharpay: I have her, she's fine. Don't be mad.

A loud yell escaped from his throat, and he heard the noise before he realized that he had been the one to make it. He tried again to call her.

"Hello?"

Evidently, he had worn her down, and she had grown tired of adverting his calls. Her voice sounded meek, wavering slightly as if she were frightened of him.

"How dare you take _my _child in the middle of the night, and not even leave a fucking note!" He roared, "I almost had a panic attack when she wasn't here this morning, before I realized you must have taken her. Do you know all the things that were running through my mind?"

"Troy, I'm sorry, but-"

"Where are you?" He demanded, before giving her a chance to explain herself.

"Troy, please try to understand..."

"Where did you take her Sharpay?" He repeated.

Her pause on the other end was heavy, and full of hesistation, but she finally answered back, "California."

"Already?" Troy bowed his head down, shivering as a feeling of sheer hopelessness overcame him. He hadn't even had a chance to change her mind. This was just like the last time, and he knew how futile his efforts to bring her home then had been. Only now, she had taken his daughter, the only other thing he had loved as much as Sharpay, away from him, and he felt utterly empty inside.

"We had a five a.m. flight. We touched down around a quarter 'till seven, and I had a car come pick me up... We're at my house now. She's asleep."

Troy shook his head, "No, Sharpay, please. You have to tell me where you are."

"I will Troy." She replied, trying to keep her voice calm and reasonable, "I just need a little bit of time first."

"Time?" Troy exclaimed, a hand flying up to capture a section of hair in his fist, gripping it tightly and pulling, "Sharpay, that's my daughter! You can't just run off with her like that! Please, please give me an address."

"I promise Troy, I will. But I want a chance to be her mother. Give me a little bit of time." She tried to bargain with him, "Just give me a little time, and then I'll tell you where we are and when you get here, you'll see. You'll see I can be a good mother, and then we can be a family again."

"A family?" Troy's voice rang out incredulously, and Sharpay's heart sank, as she registered his defiance to being anything of the sort with her.

"You think I'm going to want to pull you back into my arms as soon as I see you now? Did you really think kidnapping my daughter would be the thing to do to give me faith in you that you can be a responsible mother?"

"I didn't 'kidnap' her Troy, she's my goddamn daughter too!" Her voice broke, and she let out a strangled sob, breathing in deeply to try to stop the hyperventilating at its beginning stages.

"Hardly Sharpay!" He snapped back, "It terrifies me to think of you trying to take care of her by yourself out in California! I don't even know what the fuck you were thinking! Your reasoning is so off sometimes, I don't know how you managed to survive this long. I swear, if you don't tell me where you are and let me come get her, I'll never forgive you!"

Sharpay let out another poorly suppressed cry into the phone, "Please, don't be angry. I just want a chance to take care of her on my own for just a little while. I just want to prove to you I can do it. Then you'll see that I'm not such an awful mother, and you and I can raise her together, equally."

Troy scoffed bitterly, "You were always a shitty mother, and you always will be. I have no confidence in your ability to care for our child whatsoever, and after this, you will never convince me otherwise. I can't believe you would do this to me Sharpay! That little girl is all that I've got."

On the other end, Sharpay was shaking her head back and forth, her eyes blinded by her own tears, "You have plenty of people who love you Troy. You have your parents, _my _parents, my brother, Mckenzie, me. I don't have anybody anymore."

She errupted into a fit of cries, past the point of self return, though rather her tears were due to self pity or self loathing, he didn't know. Unable to listen to her crying, he pulled the phone away from his ear, and hung up.

* * *

"She called you from her cell phone?" Lucille Bolton sat at the table across from Troy, listening to him carefully as he explained his current plight.

Troy nodded, "Yeah. I was that fortunate at least, this time. The last time she left it behind so I had no chance of reaching her."

"Well this is really simple Troy." His mother reasoned, "Go to the police, explain that she ran off with your daughter, give them her cell phone number, and they can track her location."

Troy hesitated, hating to realize that he was still concerned for her well-being, but asked, "Will Sharpay be in trouble?"

"Not unless you try to make trouble for her." Lucille answered dismissively, "But what you definitely need to do is get a court order that requires her to show up for custody arrangement. Unless you willingly signed Mckenzie over to her, which we both know you're not going to do, the very most she could dream for would be joint custody, and even if she was miraculously granted that, you could accompany it with an arrangement that won't allow her to move more than a hundred miles away from you."

Troy nodded absently, resting his head in his hands, his elbows propped up on the mahogany wood table.

"I just don't know what to do." He murmured, heaving a heavy sigh, "If I keep Mckenzie here, I can raise her the way I've intended to, and keep her around her family that love her so much. But if I follow Sharpay out to California, I can be with the mother of my child, and Mckenzie will have two parents."

"Troy, I know you love Sharpay." His mother placed a comforting hand on his back, rubbing it soothingly, "Lord knows your father and I don't understand why you still do, but I can see it. But do you really think your relationship will sustain if you repress all your issues and blindly follow her every request? If you aren't happy out in California, and just don't voice your problems with her, your relationship is going to suffer, and I'm sorry, but it won't last Troy."

"I know that." He sunk his nails into his skin, producing pain to accompany his misery, "That's why Sharpay left in the first place! I don't listen. I didn't listen to her back when she was a scared kid trying to grow up all at once. I didn't mean to make her feel the way I did! It was just hard, you know, witnessing her struggle so much to mother our child. I judged her for it and he couldn't confide in me, and he ran off. I freaked out on her again last night! I didn't listen to her, I made brash decisions, and what did she do? She ran off again, this time with Mckenzie!"

"Well I know there are to sides to every story, and I'm sure she wasn't entirely to blame for you disagreements," Lucille rebutted, "But Troy, she can't run away everytime the two of you get in an argument and somebody says something they maybe shouldn't have. That's every adult relationship, and she needs to learn to handle it like an adult!"

"I know." Troy conceded, furrowing his brow while his thoughts remained preoccupied, "But maybe I should give her what she wants this one time. She wants to prove to me she can be a mother, and just wants a little time alone with Mckenzie. If I give it to her, she'll either learn what it really takes to be a mother, and begin acting ilke one, or at the very least she'll realize how difficult it is to raise a child, and allow me to do what I think is best for Mckenzie in the future."

Lucille pursed her lips, at odds with the idea, but chosing not to overstep and to allow Troy to make his own decisions, "Well, if you feel that's best. Just make sure we get 'Kenz back in time for Christmas. Jack brought home a Santa costume last week, and he's going to be pretty disappointed if he doesn't get to wear it."

* * *

"...Hello?" Sharpay winced as she picked up the phone, preparing herself for another backlash from Troy.

"Hey Sharpay." He sounded relatively calm, and she relaxed her posture slightly, letting out a tiny breath.

"Hi Troy."

"Look, I've given it some thought." On the other end of the line, Troy hesistated for a moment, imagining once again how difficult it was going to be to go a couple weeks without his daughter, but with as much resolve as he could muster continued, "I'm going to give you the time you want with our daughter."

"Really?" Sharpay let out a squeal of excitement, "Oh Troy, thank you! I really-"

"On one condition." He butted in.

"What's that?"

"We meet up before Christmas, and after this, the two of us come to a definite decision regarding both our marriage state and custody arrangement, and get both finalized legally." He knew both were things they could no longer continue to put off, even if neither one of them was entirely happy with the outcome at the end.

"That's fair." She agreed, "It just means so much to me that you're giving me this chance."

"Don't feel obligated to prove something you can't, okay?" He added, "If you realize at any point that you can't handle her on your own, just call me, and I'll be out there first thing."

Sharpay raised her chin slightly, locking her jaw, "I can do this Troy. I'm her mother."

Troy shook his head, but reminded himself that he was going to give her a fair chance, "Well, I hope so. Good luck."

"Do you still love me Troy?" Her voice was softened, and sitting Indian style on her suede couch, she twirled a strand of hair around her index finger.

He felt an ache in his heart, clutching the phone tight, and biting back urges. He wanted to assure her of his undying affection, to scoop her up in his arms and tell her his forgiveness for yet another of her reckless impulses was already granted. But his mother was right about their relationship needing to rely on more than his ever willingness to bend over backwards for his wife, and what she had done was certainly not excusable, even if she perhaps had her own justification.

"Sharpay, I'll talk about my relationship with you the next time I can see you in person." He anwered, "Meanwhile, I think we both need to take some time to think, and decide what we really want most."

"I want a lot of things Troy." She replied in a whisper.

Troy sighed, his lips stretched out in a thin line, "You can't always have it all Sharpay."

* * *

A/N: Hey y'all! Hope everybody had a merry Christmas! Or happy holidays! Or whatever else. :)

I'm sorry this chapter is a little short, but it made sense to end it here and have the next scene start the next chapter.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter! And hey, go read and review Dark Side of the Rainbow. (I'm going to keep advertising this thing until I'm satisfied with review count. Maybe even afterwards.) ;)

As always, I wouldn't be writing and publishing these stories if I didn't want to hear from you, so please review!

xoxo, A.


	23. Chapter 23

The woman smoothed down her pleated skirt self-consciously as Sharpay, with her professionally done hair and makeup, and her designer ensemble approached her.

"Sharpay," The girl let out a small noise resembling a squeal, despite her attempts to remain professional, "They said you asked for me by name!"

Sharpay smiled, "Oh yeah! Well we did that interview together last June, and it was such a positive experience, that when I thought it over I knew I wanted you to be the one I worked with to reveal my big story."

The girl's name was Christy, not that Sharpay had remembered it when she had placed a request for a specific "journalist." Her publicist had been the one to recall the girl, and chose her not because she was a skilled "journalist." The girl was close to Sharpay's own age, and in the past had seemed more enthralled with meeting a hero than with obtaining information to write a compelling story. She was chosen as insurance, a way to guarantee that she would publish a positive spread that painted Sharpay in a favorable light.

"I'm so flattered that you chose me," Christy beamed, and without permission reached forward, grabbing Sharpay's left hand and squeezing it tightly, "And I'll be sure the real story gets out. I know people may try to say negative things about you surrounding your secret, but I know firsthand what a wonderful person you are, and I'll be sure to convey that in every way possible!"

Sharpay resisted the urge to snatch her hand away from the prattling girl and nodded along. She then glanced around, and realized she hadn't seen Mckenzie in nearly an hour, since she had allowed her to be taken to be fixed for her photoshoot.

"Where's my daughter?" She asked.

Her assistant, who had been mourning her extended paid vacation since Sharpay had returned, stepped forward, "Wardrobe finished with her about ten minutes ago and she's been playing upstairs. I'll go get her and bring her in if everyone's ready."

Sharpay gave her consent, and Christy established how the interview would be structured.

"We'll start with the photoshoot. We'll take photos of you and Mckenzie in the living room together, like an everyday scene. Then we'll take Mckenzie upstairs to her bedroom, and we'll ask her some simple questions about herself and what she likes about you, while the photographer snaps pictures. That way the child is done and out of the way first before she gets too cranky. Then I'll sit down with you and conduct the interview."

Sharpay nodded along, "Sounds perfect."

Christy grinned, still giddy with being given the weekly publication's most important cover story in months, and willing to repay Sharpay with the most heartwarming portrayal.

* * *

With the help of her assistant, a hired interior designer, and a couple of other professionals, Sharpay had a little girl's room ready to be pictured in a magazine spread in less than two days time. It was a spacious, princess-inspired, small girl's dream room, the entire thing filled to the brim with pink, as Sharpay's preferences would have, and furnished with any play item a four year old could ask for.

"See," Mckenzie had opened up her new Victorian-style dollhouse, and emptied out the tiny furniture from one of the rooms, in order to demonstrate that she was able to curl up inside of it, "I'm a doll."

Two photographers were busy at work, snapping non-stop in order to capture the little girl's every move, while Christy sat on her knees on the floor of the room, talking to Mckenzie in a casual manner. Sharpay stood in the doorway, supervising the event.

Mckenzie's face had been embellished with makeup, in a style natural enough to be unnoticeable in a photograph. Her naturally wavy hair had been further curled and teased for emphasis, and she wore an ethereal, light pink dress, by some children's designer that complimented her entire new wardrobe she had obtained in the less than week's time she had been with Sharpay.

"Mckenzie," Christy started, "What do you think about your mother?"

"Mommy?" Mckenzie crawled out of the doll house towards the reporter, "She's the person I love most in the whole wide world. She's the prettiest lady there is and she always smells like flowers."

"What's your favorite thing to do with Mommy?"

Mckenzie looked puzzled, and then leaned forward, and pointed to the studs in her ears, "Mommy took me to get my ears pierced."

She crawled on her hands and knees over to a small table adorned with tiny chairs and a china tea set, and sat down, folding her hands primly in her lap, and facing her interviewer straight on, "I like to do everything with Mommy. As long as she's with me. I miss her real bad when she's not around."

"How did you keep in touch with Mommy when she wasn't at home with you?"

"She wrote me letters." Mckenzie informed her, "But it's not the same. I don't ever want Mommy to leave me again."

"Do you go to pre-school?"

"I don't know." Mckenzie answered, her own voice laced with inquiry, "I used to go all the time when I lived with Daddy. Then Mommy was there too and I went less. And since I've been living here with Mommy, I haven't gone at all. Maybe I'm just on vacation."

"And when Daddy wouldn't let you see Mommy for a while, did you miss her?"

"Daddy?" Mckenzie scowled, "When did Daddy keep me away from Mommy? Mommy was just busy."

Sharpay frowned, and whispered in a low voice to Christy, "I didn't want matters like this discussed in front of her."

Christy looked up at Sharpay, "I'm sorry."

Mckenzie stood up from her child-size chair, and walked back over to the open doll house, curling herself into the empty room again. She reached forward, pulling the front of the doll house shut, so that the only part of the little girl that remained visible were her wide-set blue eyes, peering at the intruders in her home through a window of the house.

Sharpay cleared her throat, "I think she's done."

* * *

Troy stared at the cover photograph of the magazine, a picture of Sharpay smiling at the camera, while Mckenzie, looking like a living doll, was seated on her lap, staring up at her with adoration. Printed boldly across the front were the words: "Sharpay Evans: 'I have a daughter." At the bottom of the cover was an additional seller point, the intriguing prospect that read: "Meet Mckenzie Evans! Page 48."

"Evans." He snorted to himself, reaching for the magazine on the stand.

"Isn't it ridiculous?" A woman carrying a small basket of groceries who was also scanning for reading material piped in, "She's always pictured taking vacations in Maui, and meanwhile she's got a baby girl somewhere she isn't taking care of. And her team's trying to sell some story to the media about spending every second of her spare time with her daughter, even though any impartial observer can tell that has not been the case."

"I know." Troy replied, his voice hoarse.

The woman clucked her tongue, "Some people just don't have a grip on priorities. I can't imagine how she's actually going to raise the child now. I guess she'll probably just hire others to do it for her."

She reached for the same magazine Troy had just grabbed, snatching a copy for herself.

Before leaving she noted, "Cute little girl. Of course she is though, her mother's a beautiful actress. Poor kid."

Troy swallowed thickly, staring down at his 'cute little girl,' overwhelmed with guilt. He hadn't wanted Mckenzie exposed to the public so that strangers like the woman who had just spoken to him could be critical of her environment and eventually, if she remained under watch further on into life, of her.

Yet he had allowed Sharpay to keep Mckenzie, surely knowing she would immediately try to accomplish what he hadn't wanted her to, before he was in control of Mckenzie's life again. He was just as angry with Sharpay for putting her needs before Mckenzie's as he was at himself for doing the very same thing. He could have tracked Sharpay down and taken Mckenzie back immediately, but he instead had allowed her to keep their daughter, and not because he felt it was the right decision as a parent, but because Sharpay was so desperate to be the mother she never could, and he loved her too much to ever break her heart.

* * *

Troy had a box full of the old letters exchanged between Mckenzie and himself, in the form of her mother, placed on the kitchen counter. He sifted through them, reading some at random, his heart heavy as he scanned through his daughter's old inquiries, repeatedly asking where her mother was, why she wasn't around more often, and if she loved her.

Mckenzie was only four and her memory was short. She had already forgotten that pain and feelings of neglect behind the letters she had written Sharpay with his aid. Had she only been a few years older, she might have already been at an age where she would be cynical of Sharpay's return, and not only question, but be critical of her absence in her life up until that point.

He was unsure if Mckenzie would retain enough memories of her life so far, that retrospect of her currently blissful relationship with Sharpay might be regarded bitterly with wiser eyes. He wondered if the day would ever come that she would become disenchanted with her mother, and realize that Sharpay was neither a princess nor a goddess, but a human being, as flawed as they come.

He slammed his fist down on the table, filled with wretched guilt as he realized that while at one point he had feared these things for his daughter, he was now hoping they would come true.

As much as he hated registering these selfish feelings, it pained him to know that despite the fact that he had been the one to raise and take care of her, and make so many sacrifices to do so, Sharpay was her hero, her world, and her everything. It seemed he would always come second to his little girl, regardless that she always came first for him.

Sighing, he stood from the kitchen table, picking up his phone and calling Sharpay's cell. She answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Shar."

"Hey Troy."

He glanced over at the microwave clock. It was eleven, meaning it was still ten in California, and he hoped his daughter was still awake, so he could tell her goodnight.

"Is Mckenzie still up?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's right here." Sharpay's voice was followed by the sound of rushing air through the phone, and then the releasing of breath into the mouthpiece.

"Daddy?"

Troy grinned at hearing his daughter's voice, though it was bittersweet, his heart aching for her at the same time.

"Hey baby." He spoke into the phone, "Are you going to bed soon?"

"I don't know. Mommy doesn't really make me, but I am getting sort of tired." She yawned.

"You should go to bed sweetie." Troy advised, "You need your sleep."

Air rushed through the phone again, and then he could hear Mckenzie's voice, this time distant, speaking to Sharpay, "Daddy says I should go to bed."

Sharpay's voice came through, also sounding far away, "Okay. Well tell Daddy goodnight first, and then go upstairs and put on your pajamas. I'll be up in a minute."

"Goodnight Daddy." Mckenzie's voice was suddenly close again.

Troy breathed, "Goodnight 'Kenz. I love you so much."

"I love you too," She coughed into his ear, "Here's Mommy."

Sharpay giggled slightly into the phone, "Hey."

"Hey." Troy couldn't help but smile, admittedly happy to hear her voice as well. He was filled with the desire to join them; to be in the house with them right now, his arm around Sharpay's waist, the two of them tucking their daughter in together.

"How are you holding up with the separation?" Her voice, surprisingly or not, sounded genuinely concerned, "I know you miss her."

"I miss her insanely." He let out a breath, and added, "And you too."

"I miss you too Troy. Really."

He was filled with too much longing, and decided to change the subject abruptly, "I saw the magazine. That was quick."

"Yeah, well, we kind of figured after I started getting photographed going everywhere with a little girl, rumors would start flying, so we wanted the story out as soon as possible." She let out a small, dry chuckle, though the situation was void of humor. It was clear by the noise that she was nervous of his reaction.

"Well then," Troy replied, "You made your choice. Was it a million dollar story?"

Sharpay sighed heavily, "More or less."

"That bedroom is what I always would have envisioned for the child of Sharpay Evans." He noted.

"She seems to like it." She responded, the air heavy with tension.

"Well I'm glad. I'm sure she has everything she could want with you, and you can provide her a life I never could." He could have choked on his own bitterness.

"She keeps saying that she misses you." Sharpay informed him.

"Really?" He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes. And I've already said that I miss you. Why don't you come out here?" She audibly hesitated for a moment, but then continued, "I have some news."

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'd rather wait until I see you again." She answered.

"Good or bad news?" He pressed.

"I," Her breath wavered and she paused, "I don't know. I guess I'll let you decide when I see you."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for a shorter chapter again, but I keep ending them where it feels appropriate to do so.

Thanks so much to those who did leave your thoughts, but I was definitely discouraged when I didn't get nearly as many reviews as I would have liked last chapter. It's hard to be motivated to update in a timely manner when you're not receiving encouragement by way of readers. So please, please let me know that there's still interest in my story, and if you're out there, review. Otherwise I'm not sure when my next update will be.

xoxo, A.


	24. Chapter 24

"Hello?" Troy answered his phone.

"Are you at home?" Ryan's voice on the other end asked him.

"Of course I am." Troy replied.

He was sitting on his loveseat alone, flipping mindlessly through the channels on his television, never actually watching a single program.

"Turn the TV on to channel twelve." Ryan instructed.

"Done." Troy quickly complied, swallowing heavily as he was met with the footage.

Some entertainment show was broadcasting paparazzi captured footage of Sharpay and Mckenzie walking down the street together. Sharpay, the seasoned starlet that she was, seemed unphased by the dozen cameras that were following her, ignoring the invasive questions being thrown at her with a quiet smile on her face. She held Mckenzie by the hand, pulling her along with her, but the little girl did not possess her mother's cool serenity. Instead, she was glancing wildly about, gaping at the tall men that were inexplicably surrounding her and her mother, for some reason fascinated to see her walking down a sidewalk. Sharpay's eyes kept straight ahead, unaware of her daughter's confusion.

Troy turned the volume up, listening to the reporter narrating the clip, "...The two were off for a Mother/Daughter day of shopping. While Shar seemed more than used to the paps, Little Mac seemed a little thrown by all of the flashes. Looks like she's still adjusting to a Hollywood Life."

Troy remembered Ryan on the other end of the phone, "I had to ask ahead for time off of work. I'm heading out there next week."

"Are you still incredibly pissed?"

Troy sighed, "I was very angry with what she did. I'm upset with a lot of her choices. But it looks like she's at least serious about staying in Mckenzie's life for good, and I want her to be happy."

"So, does that mean you're going to move out to California with her?" Ryan asked, his voice heavy with skepticism.

"I don't know. It means I'm going to consider it." Troy reached for the remote, muting the television now that it was distracting him with a story about how some super model lost her baby weight in a shockingly low period of time, "I mean, either way, I'm going to have to compromise the ideal family life scenario I have in my head. I guess I'd just rather be with them all the time, where Sharpay will be kept happy, than risk losing her again, and go through a nasty custody battle."

"If you think that's what you really want." Ryan replied, judgement underlying his voice, though it was clear he was trying his best at suppressing it.

"I don't really know what I want anymore, long term." Troy answered truthfully, "I do know that I want the two of them here in Albuquerque this Christmas. I'd love to have both families get together this year for Mckenzie's sake. I'll need to keep Sharpay pleased at least until then if I'm going to swing that."

"You know," Ryan hesitated, but decided it was worth mentioning, "Sharpay doesn't really have a lot of parenting rights at the moment. I mean, I know her name is on the birth certificate, and that will guarantee her the right to try for them, but I'm pretty sure even with all of her fancy lawyers, you would end up with Mckenzie. You don't have to give into her."

"But if I ended up with Mckenzie, her and Sharpay would never have a close mother daughter relationship. And I don't want to be away from Sharpay. I wish I could change some things about her, but I guess I'm just going to have to love her unconditionally and put up with it." In the back of his mind, Troy was mulling over his mother's advice again and again, about not sweeping issues under the rug, but he chose not to bring it up to his brother-in-law.

"Troy I know how much you love my sister. And I'm not necessarily saying it's the wrong decision for you to move out there. But I think at the very least the two of you need to have a serious discussion about the future, that doesn't involve either one of you pitching a fit or storming off." Ryan sighed, "That being said, I think you'll be happier with her than without her."

"I know." Troy muttered, a response to both statements.

* * *

"I need more peppermints." Mckenzie requested.

Sharpay helped to unwrap a few more of the circular candies, joining Mckenzie in pressing them into the white frosting that covered the top of the gingerbread house they were decorating together. Mckenzie was scattering colored candy all over one side, while Sharpay had designated the other half of the slanted roof to carefully chosen candy patterns, and icing designs.

"Can we go to the beach today?" Mckenzie asked, something she had begged for nearly every day since she had first spotted it while driving near the shore.

"It's too cold for the beach right now." Sharpay answered, "You won't be able to go swimming. We'll go when it's warm."

"Oh, all right." Mckenzie huffed, "It doesn't get warm until a long time after Christmas."

"Well in California it usually gets warm a lot quicker." Sharpay answered, using red and green M&Ms to create shingles, "But we'll still have to wait a little longer for the ocean to warm up."

"I've never been to the ocean before." Mckenzie replied, popping one of the candies into her mouth instead of onto the house for nearly the tenth time since they'd started, worrying Sharpay that she'd soon be bouncing off the walls.

"I know. I promise I'll take you eventually." Sharpay was interrupted by the sound of her ringtone, and stood up from the table, rushing to answer it.

"Hello?"

"My flight just landed." Troy replied, "I'm going to rent a car, and then I'll be heading over there."

"Okay." Sharpay answered, surprised to suddenly find her heart thudding a mile a minute, terrified of seeing him again for a number of reasons, "We could come pick you up if you want."

"That's okay," Troy rejected her offer, "I want to have my own transportation while I'm here."

"Well I have a number of cars, so if you want-"

"That's all right." Troy cut her off, "I'll be there soon enough. Tell 'Kenz I can't wait to see her."

"Okay." Sharpay exhaled heavily, "We can't wait to see you either."

* * *

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Mckenzie sang out, running to the door at the sound of knocking.

Sharpay rushed after her, swinging the door open to reveal Troy, who immediately knelt to the ground, opening his arms out for his daughter.

"Hey baby!" He picked her up, hugging her tight to his body, while Sharpay hung back watching the reunion, her emotions clouded with anxiety, not sure of how he would treat her now.

"Shar." He stepped into the house, shutting the door behind him, and embraced her, softly kissing her cheek.

Sharpay smiled, taking Mckenzie from him, and setting her back on her feet, "Troy, I know I shouldn't have run off with Mckenzie without telling you. I'm just really glad you're here and-"

"Let's just move past it." Troy cut her off, "While I'm here I think we should focus on improving our relationship, and spend time with 'Kenz as a family."

"Okay." Sharpay nodded, chewing at her bottom lip, "But if you want to talk about all that happened; why I did what I did, we can..."

"It's fine Sharpay." He answered with resolve, "I don't want to dwell on it any longer."

"Daddy, I've missed you so much!" Mckenzie ran towards him, hugging his legs.

"I've missed you even more 'Kenz!" He swooped her up again in his arms, holding her close, "Daddy doesn't ever want to be so far away from you again!"

Sharpay cleared her throat, "Come on. I'll give you a tour of the house."

* * *

"Goodnight 'Kenz." Troy kissed the top of his daughter's head, while she lay underneath the comforter of her new bed.

After spending the evening exploring Sharpay's house, and helping her and Mckenzie finish the gingerbread house and other homemade Christmas decorations they had been working on, he had decided when it was time for Mckenzie to go to sleep. Mckenzie had grown used to Sharpay allowing her to tell her when she was ready for bed, and had thrown a slight tantrum over the shift in power.

Even still, after some coaxing, she had admitted to being tired and ready for sleep, and ultimately she willingly let the two tuck her in.

"Goodnight Daddy." She answered back.

Sharpay leaned over her, kissing her forehead.

"I love you." She told the little girl, squeezing her once.

"Love you too." Mckenzie yawned, and kissed her mother's cheek.

The two walked back through the room, Troy blinking a couple of times as he did so.

"All of this pink. It's almost a little blinding isn't it?"

Sharpay giggled in response, turning off the light as the two exited the room.

"Well, we've made it all evening without any arguments. Does this mean we're okay?" Sharpay lingered outside the bedroom door, "I know things were bad when I left, but I really just think the two of us got caught up in the heat of the moment, and both of us acted more hastily than we should have."

Troy hesitated, weary of making any definitive statements regarding where they stood at the moment, "...Didn't you have news for me, Sharpay?"

Now it was her turn to falter. She wrung her hands nervously, opening and closing her mouth a few times, not finding the proper words. After failing several times at verbal communication, she leaned in and presented him with a chaste kiss, lingering seconds after, her breath warm on his cheek.

"You haven't seen _my _bedroom yet Troy." She whispered huskily, "The grand tour isn't complete yet."

She pulled back and gently tugged at his hand, "Come on."

Troy hung back reluctantly, "Sharpay, I don't know. I thought we'd stay up talking for a while."

Sharpay bit her lip, struggling to steady her ragged breathing, digging her nails into her clammy palms, "We will. I do have news and I promise to share it with you tonight. I just need to de-stress a little first."

Troy's initial instinct would of course always be to follow Sharpay into her bedroom, but he was putting forth his best efforts at overpowering his loins with his logic. Sharpay could easily continue to put off the unpleasant if he allowed her to. At the same time, Christmas was merely days away now, and he did want to keep her appeased until then, in order to bring her back to Albuquerque with him, if only briefly.

"You've missed me, haven't you?" She pouted, reaching forward and lacing her fingers into his, "I just want to show you how much I've missed you. I love you so much Troy."

His heart ached upon hearing the three magic words, and licking his lips, he nodded his consent, following her down the hall and into her bedroom.

"Like it?" She gestured to the spacious, lavishly decorated area.

"It's gorgeous." Troy answered, "Just like the rest of the house."

"You haven't seen my favorite room yet." She gestured for him to follow her, and opened a door revealing a closet bigger than Troy's own bedroom, "Ta dah!"

He tentatively stepped in, giving a nod of appreciation, "The whole place is like Barbie's Dream Home, Shar."

"Isn't it?" She giggled, and then pushed her lips out, looking up at him, eyes wide and innocent, "Wouldn't you like to live here? It's practically paradise."

She placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Well, I'm not sure we could share a closet. I don't think there'd be any room for my clothes in there." He struggled to make a joke, his throat dry, and his heart pounding.

Her manipulation was transparent, absolutely, but that never made it any less effective.

"You can have your own closet." She nuzzled at his neck, "That's not an issue. But you know what we can share as a married couple?"

"What?" Troy managed to choke out.

She started from the top, slowly unbuttoning his shirt while she spoke, "The master bath. I think the tub is definitely big enough for two. But we could try it out if you want to be sure."

"Well, it's better to know for certain." He answered, his eyes focused on her full pouty lips.

"Sure. You can never be too careful." She had reached the last button, and gingerly slid his shirt off his body.

He reached around behind her, wrapping one arm behind her knees and hoisting her off the ground, carrying her out of the closet, and back into the bedroom. He carried her through the open doorway leading to the private bathroom, sitting her down on the edge of the bathtub while he plugged the drain and started to run the bath.

While the water poured from the faucet, Troy knelt on the marble floor in front of Sharpay, cupping her face and kissing her. Her hands tousled his hair and he slowly trailed his lips down, along the length of her jaw, before feasting on her neck. She purred into his ear, running her hands down his arms, feeling his biceps. His hands moved up, making contact with the curve of her breasts, feeling her gently through the brightly colored sweatshirt she had clothed herself in.

He reached for the hem of her top, and he heard her breath catch as he lifted it away from her. He immediately leaned in for another kiss from her, his hands dancing along her torso as he did so. His tongue was just dipping into her mouth when he stilled, his hands resting on her abdomen.

He bent his head into her neck, feeling Sharpay's heart pound, listening to the sound of the rushing water.

"Sharpay?" He pulled away, finally looking down at her bare stomach.

Her change in shape was nothing drastic. Her hips were just the slightest bit wider, a tiny round bulge in her stomach, one he was sure had just begun to show. He might have thought nothing of it; perhaps assumed she had just been on a pasta binge since he had lost saw her and put on a few pounds.

But he had seen this all before, watched the same changes on the same woman. The thought of it had already been taunting him since she had alluded to the "news" she had to share with him.

Sharpay attempted to smile, although the final result closer resembled a grimace, "You'd have thought we would have learned our lesson the first time and been better about protection."

For both her benefit and his own, Troy forced a chuckle out, "It's funny how the past repeats itself."

* * *

Troy held her against him, trying to ignore the fact that the once steaming hot bath had now fallen to a temperature slightly more than lukewarm, and that neither of them had yet to utter a single word since climbing into the tub together.

"You're angry with me." She murmured, her wet hair draped across his bare chest, both of them staring up at the ceiling.

"No Sharpay, I'm not angry with you." He wrapped his pruning hands around her hips and rotated his body so that he could look at her face, "I'm just very worried."

"That I'll run again?" She asked him.

"It crossed my mind." He admitted.

"We have options Troy."

"I know." He winced, at the moment hating all of his options, only miserable, unbearable scenarios playing in his head, ones that would all ultimately leave him alone and wanting.

"If you stay here, Troy, won't you feel safer?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head in his chest.

"Safer?" He furrowed his brow.

"I don't want to leave this all behind. Where else will I run to Troy? What dreams do I have left to accomplish?" She spoke as if certain her words would be assuring to him.

"By all this, you mean your fame and fortune?" Troy clarified.

"I guess so." She answered back.

"I would never want to leave all of this behind either." Troy replied, his voice curt, "And by all this, I mean the woman I love and the child we made together. I still haven't achieved my dream of a happy family."

* * *

A/N: Troy's final words are up for interpretation until the next chapter.

Thank you so much to all who reviewed last chapter. I'm afraid I wasn't as good at replying to say thanks as I usually try to be, so I'll just say my thanks here. I appreciate all feedback.

Nearly every chapter it seems I'm receiving an anonymous review complaining about Sharpay's character and behavior. While it is slightly annoying at chapter 24 of a story to still have readers upset that Troy has yet to spit in Sharpay's face and walk away, when the summary states from the get go that this is a Troypay, I promise, I'm never mean when replying to critiques, so there's no reason to fear logging in. Unfortunately, it seems reviews containing anything critical are almost always anonymous. I just feel if you feel strongly enough in your opinion, you should have the guts to identify yourself in order to stand by it. But I digress.

Also, over the course of publishing fics I have received a number of requests to write something besides Troypay. As far as High School Musical goes, I don't ever see myself writing for any other couple. My passion isn't so much in the fandom as it is in those two characters together. I'm in it for the shipping. As far as any other future fandoms I may write for go, while not impossible, it's likely that I'll ever write canon, because I tend to be more passionate about those couples in which it was apparent to everybody but the writers that they belonged together. I'm also unlikely to write anything that isn't hetero, not out of disapproval, but disinterest. And I'll write a Troyella over my dead body.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading this chapter, and my A/N if you actually read it, and please, please now take the time to hit the review chapter button.

xoxo.


	25. Chapter 25

Troy watched Sharpay as she dressed. She pulled a pair of black leggings over her slender legs, adjusting the waist band as it came to rest on her hips. She studied her figure in the mirror, the evidence of change at the moment so minor.

"You know," She flicked her head backwards to speak to Troy, seated on the foot of her bed, "I'm not very far along at all. Only you would have known the difference. We do have options."

Troy heaved a sigh, pressing a palm to his forehead, "I don't want to think about that right now. All I want to do is focus on making sure Mckenzie has a wonderful Christmas. We can deal with that on the 26th."

"Fine." Sharpay's voice was curt, and if he hadn't known any better, he might of thought he had hurt her feelings, all though on what grounds he was unsure.

She had laid a cream colored, loose cable-knit sweater across a fauteuil chair, and she slipped it on now, admiring herself in the mirror.

"Do you think this is unpretentious?" She asked Troy, "This is the type of outfit you wear on the couch with your family on Christmas Eve, right?"

Troy had begged Sharpay to come back to Albuquerque with him and Mckenzie for Christmas, and she had conceded only after he agreed to her conditions. The first was that they stayed in California for Christmas Eve night, in order to be present for the cameras Katherine had arranged to come into her home, to video tape her and Mckenzie celebrating the holiday together. The second was that Sharpay be allowed to bring Mckenzie back to California after Christmas, while she and Troy made their decision on what to do long-term, both relationship and custody wise.

Troy stood up, walking towards her.

"Your bra is showing," He pointed to where the black lace of the lingerie peeked through the spaces of the loosely knitted fabric.

"Oh that's okay. No one will mind small accidents like that." From the way she smiled, he knew immediately it was not an accident, but he chose not to voice his irritation with her choosing to take advantage of a moment of publicity that was intended to be about bonding with her daughter in order to make herself sexually appealing.

Taking a moment to gaze at her face, he stood behind her, pressing himself against her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her cheek gently, while he watched their reflection, studying what they looked like as a couple, something they hadn't been in so long.

Sharpay watched his eyes through the mirror, and expression of puzzlement on her own face, and Troy sighed softly as he admired her.

"You're like a little porcelain doll," He informed her, kissing her temple and giving her waist a squeeze, "So beautiful and perfect. You take my breath away."

Sharpay felt her knees weaken slightly, as she allowed her body to melt into his, while he peppered her face with affectionate kisses, before pulling back to gaze at her with his lovesick eyes.

His hot then cold attitude towards her was beginning to tire himself out as much as it was her, but his attraction towards her was undeniable at all times, and he found it increasingly hard to suppress all feelings of love and affection that came paired with it.

Sharpay cleared her throat, "We should go check on Mckenzie and see if they have her ready."

"I really don't understand why I can't get my child ready myself." Troy grumbled in response, reminded that there were a number of professionals down the hall he feared were turning his daughter into a Jonbenet.

Sharpay touched his arm gently, leading him out of the bedroom and down the hall where Sharpay's team of hair, makeup, and clothing stylists had been left to tend to Mckenzie. This time she was dressed in a white cotton nightgown, suitable for a night before Christmas scene.

When the two walked into her bedroom, Mckenzie had her arms crossed over her chest, her lips pushed out in a pout, glaring at the man who was tending to the final touches on her curls.

"What's wrong baby?" Sharpay asked, suppressing a giggle at the theatrical display of unhappiness, clearly for her and Troy's benefit.

"I don't want to go to bed yet! I'm not even tired and then they made me put on pajamas anyway, and then I had to sit still why they messed with my hair too!" Mckenzie complained.

Troy groaned, unhappy with the scene before him and wishing he had the liberty to take Mckenzie into the bathroom and wash off all evidence of blush that had been dusted across her face.

Sharpay knelt down, "You're not going to bed baby. We're going to go have pictures taken downstairs, remember? Then we've got to fly back to Daddy's anyway. You're going to be able to stay up for a while."

"Then when you go to sleep, when you wake up, it will be Christmas!" Troy chimed in, smiling at her, hoping to see her expression brighten to what one might expect from a child on Christmas Eve.

The little girl frowned, shaking her head of chestnut locks, "That's another thing that worries me. I've been staying here, but now I'm going back to Daddy's in the middle of Christmas Eve night. How will Santa know where I am? Maybe I should just stay here."

Troy's heart ached, so desperate to have the two willingly back in Albuquerque for the holiday, to celebrate it with everyone as a family.

"Don't worry baby," He murmured, "Santa will know where to find you, I promise."

Sharpay nodded along, "He always knows."

She held out her hand to her daughter, "Come on downstairs for Mommy now, okay?"

Mckenzie nodded, eagerly taking Sharpay's outstretched hand, eager as always to spend time with her.

* * *

The three had a red eye flight back to Albuquerque. Mckenzie had fallen asleep on her mother's lap while being filmed having the Night Before Christmas read to her. Troy had taken it upon himself to pack their small carry on's into Sharpay's flashy, gas-guzzler of an SUV he hated, and had driven them the distance to the airport, so that Sharpay could continue to carry Mckenzie, and disturb her as little as possible.

Walking through the terminal, Sharpay yawned several times herself, blinking wearily as she carried her child, who seemed to grow increasingly heavy, through check-in. She refused Troy each time he offered to take Mckenzie from her, and he had to help Sharpay through security, even helping her take her shoes off and on.

Mckenzie drifted in and out of an uncomfortable sleep, occasionally opening her eyes to squint at her unpleasantly bright surroundings before whimpering and pressing her face back into Sharpay's bosom.

When they had finally boarded their flight, Troy helped Sharpay into the window seat, scooting into Mckenzie's unoccupied middle seat himself. He wrapped his arm around Sharpay's shoulders, pulling her into his chest, and kissing the top of her head.

Glancing towards his watch, he informed her, "It's nearly two a.m. Merry Christmas, Shar."

"Merry Christmas." Sharpay murmured back, as her eyelids grew weighted, and began to flutter.

Soon enough, Sharpay was unconscious like her daughter and Troy spent the majority of the short flight, whose duration was not quite two hours, watching her sleep and occasionally kissing her hair. He had the two safe in his arms, on the way back to their hometown, and he was filled to the brim with relief that he had been able to achieve it. He was just as determined on seeing to it that Christmas day went according to plan in all regards.

* * *

Ryan had been given the task of arranging for both Troy and Sharpay's family to come together early for Christmas. In the years past, Troy was used to having Mckenzie spend Christmas Eve night with his parents, and joining them in the early morning. Afterwards he would usually drop her off at Sharpay's parents where she would stay until the next day.

Troy was grateful that this year would be the first Christmas since Sharpay had left that he wouldn't have to spend the second half the day in undesired solitude. Sharpay, however, did not seem to be in any sort of a holiday spirit. After they had arrived at Troy's house, Mckenzie had been put to bed for a few more hours of sleep, and Sharpay had seen to it that all of the gifts she had shipped to Troy's house express a couple of days before had arrived.

Troy went upstairs to try to lay down in his own bed and attempt to catch a little bit of sleep, but Sharpay, restless and worried about facing both Troy's parents and her own after running away, this time with Mckenzie, retreated to the bathroom for a long, hot shower.

"Hey."

Troy jumped slightly as Sharpay's whisper startled him awake, finding her hovering above him in the bed, her damp hair falling in front of her face in flaxen colored ringlets.

"So I've been thinking," She started, her warm breath tickling his neck, "Maybe it would be best if I stayed here this morning while Mckenzie goes to her grandparents, and then the three of us can have our own little Christmas this evening."

"What?" Troy sat up abruptly, "Sharpay, why?"

She shrugged softly, "Everybody's used to celebrating without me anyway. And I know you're parents aren't exactly warmed to me right now. I don't want to upset anybody by being there-"

"It's Christmas," He interrupted, " And I really, really want us all to come together this year. Nobody's going to want to fight with you today. Please do it for Mckenzie?"

Sharpay chewed on her bottom lip, already knowing she would have no choice but to give into Troy.

"I came through with my side of the bargain. I let those people film and take pictures of us last night." He reminded her.

She nodded, relenting, "Fine Troy. For you and Mckenzie I'll go. I just really hope your parents don't lay into me too hard about taking Mckenzie to California. Or my own parents for that matter."

She swallowed, remembering a recent conversation, and after a moment, asked, "And then afterwards we'll discuss... my condition?"

Troy winced, bringing a hand up to rub his throbbing temple, "Yes Sharpay. We'll talk about that."

Sharpay sighed, pulling the covers back and climbing in next to Troy, nuzzling herself against him, "Please forgive me Troy."

"For what?" He asked softly.

She pressed her forehead into his chest, shutting her eyes tightly and avoiding his gaze, "For repeatedly finding ways to unintentionally fuck up your life."

* * *

"There's my little girl!"

"Gammy!" Mckenzie dashed into her Grandparent's house, leaping haphazardly into her grandmother's arms.

Lucille let out a small "oomph" noise as she caught the child, but beamed, scooping her up and covering her cheeks with kisses.

Sharpay felt scrutinized as soon as Lucille's eyes landed on her, and she blushed fiercely, staring down at the ground.

"Well," Lucille bent down, releasing Mckenzie, "It certainly is a Christmas blessing that we can all come together as a family this year. Sharpay, your parents and brother are already in the living room."

Sharpay nodded, still adverting her gaze, and followed the group into the living room, where the Boltons' Christmas tree stood, lit and decorated.

Darby and Vance sat coupled together on the couch, and Vance immediately stood up to squeeze his daughter tightly. Darby remained seated and raised her eyebrows disapprovingly at Sharpay.

Sharpay shifted awkwardly, attempting to smile at her brother who was eyeing her from an arm chair across the room.

"Did Santa come?" Mckenzie asked, squatting underneath the tree to examine for presents.

Troy cleared his throat, gesturing to Sharpay that he was heading out to the car to unload their presents and she nodded her consent, trying to ignore the bile that was rising in her throat as she thought of being left alone, even briefly, with the other adults.

"Did someone say Santa?"

Sharpay pivoted on her feet, to find Jack dressed in full out Santa gear, entering the room, lugging a sack full of presents behind him.

Mckenzie gasped, then lifted her hand up, covering her little mouth to suppress her giggles at the sight.

Jack plopped down in the nearest easy chair, groaning as he did so. He beckoned for Mckenzie, who was in a fit of laughs as she skipped over to him.

"Pops!" She exclaimed, "Why are you dressed like that?"

Jack frowned, then cleared his throat, "Because I'm Santa Clause of course!"

"No you're not." Mckenzie insisted, climbing into her grandfather's lap for a closer inspection, "You're Pops."

She tugged on his fluffy white beard to reveal his clean shaven face and prove her point.

Lucille laughed while Jack struggled to conceal his disappointment that his portrayal hadn't been nearly as convincing as he had hoped.

"Well..." He reached for his bag, "Santa _did _come here last night and he asked me to give these gifts to Mckenzie."

Mckenzie's face lit up with unconcealed excitement and Sharpay smiled as she watched her leap for the first wrapped item. She gingerly sat down on the edge of the couch beside her parents, trying to call as little attention as possible to herself.

"I've missed you Princess." Vance edged himself closer to her, wrapping his arm around her, "You never call or visit and I was away on business when you came to see your Mother."

"I know Daddy." She allowed her head to loll in, resting on his chest, seeking comfort from yet another loved one she had so carelessly hurt, "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I'm just proud of you for finally growing up and trying to make amends." He kissed the top of his daughter's head, "It took a lot of courage to come back."

Sharpay wondered if her father knew of her running back to L.A., with Mckenzie, or if he was simply choosing to overlook it in his willingness to quickly forgive his daughter.

"Of course, I was rather concerned when I learned from Ryan that you had taken Kenzie out to California," Darby piped in, "But I was relieved when Troy explained that he had sent the two of you out there with his blessing. You can imagine that I assumed the worse initially."

Sharpay blushed as she realized how generous Troy had been in excusing her behavior and felt a sense of relief sweep over her as she thought that perhaps the Boltons thought the same thing about her taking Mckenzie away with her. But then she caught sight of Lucille, who had bristled as she listened to the Evanses' conversation and Sharpay realized immediately that Troy must have sought consolation in his own parents as soon as she had taken off with Mckenzie.

Lucille smiled softly at her and Sharpay shyly returned the gesture. She knew without a doubt that Troy's mother was forcing her geniality for her son's own benefit, knowing how much it meant to him to have one happy Christmas with everyone together and getting along. Even still, she appreciated Lucille's ability to summon any sort of warmth towards her, sincere or not.

Sharpay coughed dryly, trying her best to focus on watching her daughter opening her gifts, as Troy came back into the house unloading he and Sharpay's presents to their daughter.

Even as she tried her best to only pay attention to Mckenzie, in her peripheral vision she couldn't help but notice that Santa Clause was glaring at her.

* * *

3 Days Earlier

_"Sharpay, this is too much all at once!" _

_Sharpay groaned, bringing her knees to her chest as she leaned back on the decorative pillows adorning her bed, clutching her phone tightly to her face. _

_"You just unloaded a secret child on me for God's sake and I made it work. Then you have a long lost husband show up for your Christmas Eve publicity shoot and I make it work." Her publicist's raspy voice was rattling on, "But an accidental pregnancy? Sharpay it's all too much. There's only so many hits to your reputation you can take all at once. I've made you look like a good caring mother, who made some mistakes in the past you're owning up to. But another pregnancy directly on top of all of this is going to make you look like a slut."_

_Sharpay's breath quivered and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't want to be fallen in the eyes of America, but she didn't want for Troy to be upset with her either and at the moment she was unsure of what he would wanted. _

_"How far along are you?" Katherine asked, inhaling a large puff from her cigarette. _

_"Not more than twelve weeks…" Sharpay answered back._

_"Excellent. You know what I want you to do darling." She sounded resolute, as if she assumed the conversation were already over, and Sharpay was quick to jump in._

_"But I have to talk this over with Troy. We're partners. It wouldn't be fair for me to decide anything without fully talking things out with him." She faltered, hoping for some sort of reassurance on the other end. _

_"I'm not arguing with you on that. I'm not your relationship counselor. I think business." She paused for a moment, taking another drag, "You come to me for career advice and I've already given it to you. Get rid of it."_

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading. Sorry it's taken me to long to update this one. I've known where the story was heading, but I was having a bit of writers block on making this particular chapter happen. It was a lot of filter until the final scene.

This isn't the first time I've advertised one of my other stories on an author's note, but please go read and review the latest chapter of Dark Side of the Rainbow. My cowriter and I have been so disappointed with the review count and I guess I'm wishfully hoping that it was just the fact that it was updated on Easter weekend and everyone forgot.

And of course please review this chapter! ;p I don't care if you want to hate on Sharpay or criticize me or whatever, any review is better than none at all, so please leave your thoughts.

:)

xoxo.


	26. Chapter 26

"Do you know what this is?" Troy held the branch over Mckenzie's head, "Mistletoe. If you're caught under it with someone it means you have to let them kiss you."

Mckenzie laughed, and quickly attempted to dash away from her father, but he snatched her up into his arms and planted a kiss on the tip of her little nose, "Those are Christmas rules!"

Mckenzie giggled until he set her down again and she darted to the couch to avoid another embarrassing display of affection from him.

"Mistletoe, Mommy," Troy held it over Sharpay's head as she came walking through the doorway to the living room from the kitchen, a coffee cup in her hand.

Sharpay smiled coyly, snaking her thin arms around Troy's neck as he descended his lips onto hers and she received his kiss, careful not to spill the contents of the cup as she did so.

"Hm," Troy smirked as he pulled away, "Maybe we should hang this stuff in all of the doorways, year round. I could kiss you all night."

Sharpay rolled her eyes, pulling herself from Troy's clutch and walking over to join Mckenzie on the couch, handing her the small mug, "Hot chocolate."

Mckenzie took one drink of the piping hot liquid and made a face, wincing from her burnt tongue. She set the container down on the floor beneath her, curling her legs up on the couch and snuggling in next to Sharpay.

"What was your favorite Christmas gift Mommy?" She asked, nestling her head in underneath Sharpay's left arm.

"Getting to spend today with you and Daddy," Sharpay stroked Mckenzie's waves, "What was yours?"

"The princess bike." Mckenzie answered with a yawn.

"Someone sounds sleepy," Troy made his way to the couch, sitting down on the other side of Sharpay.

"Uh uh!" Mckenzie denied adamantly with a shake of her curls, "I'm not tired! We haven't even watched the movie yet. Play it!"

Troy smiled, knowing the four year old wasn't going to make it through the end of the film, but he pressed play on the remote in his hand, starting Mckenzie's favorite Christmas movie.

"This one's my favorite too." Sharpay muttered, leaning back against Troy.

Troy kissed her shoulder blade and then reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch, laying it over the two girls.

"How long's she been asleep?" Troy whispered, as the ending credits of the film played in the background.

Sharpay blinked wearily, feeling close to sleep herself, "I'm not sure."

Troy stood up, Sharpay groaning from the loss of her support, and being forced to sit up herself.

"Here," He held out his arms and she handed him Mckenzie.

She followed him as he carried their daughter upstairs and laid her down in her bed, leaving a kiss on her forehead. Sharpay leant down beside him, kissing Mckenzie as well and Troy grinned at the sight, kissing Sharpay in turn.

"I was thinking," Sharpay started, once the two were out of their daughter's bedroom, and entering Troy's instead, "I'd take her back to Cali the day after tomorrow."

Troy stiffened, sitting down on the edge of the bed in an effort to relax his posture and maintain the serene state the two had been in for the majority of the night, "Oh."

"And I was hoping you would be coming too?" She added hopefully.

"Sharpay, I have a job…"

"You could always get a new job." She replied, sitting down beside him, placing a hand on his back, "I have enough financial security for the both of us meanwhile. But I _do _have to get back to my job. I haven't been to a single audition in a month."

"So this is what you really want, without any doubts? You want Mckenzie and me both out in California with you and what, all of us living together?" He chewed his lip thoughtfully.

Sharpay nodded, "I think it's the best option. And I'm sure you'd be happy with it in the end Troy. I mean Mckenzie would have me and you would have me. And I don't think there's a single thing either one of you wants more."

Troy wanted to roll his eyes at her arrogance, but he couldn't scoff when he knew it was the truth.

He sighed, wrapping his arm around her and clutching her close, "I don't remember the day I finally fell for you," He mumbled into her neck, "But when I did, I fell hard. Sharpay, you're my world. I want you to be happy and I want to be the person that's making you happy. It's just, it's hard to trust you and I have an obligation as a parent to make sure I'm putting Mckenzie before myself. But I guess if you want us out in California, we'll go. I just wish I was able to make you happy and still keep Mckenzie close to her family. She's that much more close to them because she didn't have a mother around and I needed help watching her."

"It's not like she can't come visit plenty," Sharpay reasoned, "And everyone can come visit us as well."

"Us…" Troy mused, his hand wandering to Sharpay's stomach, "You, me, Mckenzie, and a new baby?"

Sharpay exhaled through her nostrils, the impending subject she had been waiting to talk about finally brought up by him.

"Well, I don't know about that…" She muttered.

Troy hugged her into his body, resting his head on top of hers to prevent her from seeing the crestfallen look on his face, "I thought you might say that."

She sensed his disappointment anyway and gently rubbed his chest, "We talked about it the night you found out."

"I know, but then I started thinking…" He trailed off and then started again, "I hope you aren't just trying to soothe my own nerves. We could do it Sharpay, if that's what you want. Start raising a second one. I know you've thought about me anxious over the idea of you running off again, but I can handle the nerves. And this time we'll be able to watch for any signs of post partum depression immediately. And you've already achieved your biggest dreams. You'd have no reason to feel trapped or limited, right? Everything would be different."

"Troy, I just don't think I would feel the same around you for nine months, knowing the entire time you were worrying over the idea of me leaving you again after another baby was born. I don't think I could handle worrying over the same thing myself." She chewed her bottom lip, her heart pounding. She just couldn't bring herself to tell him about her conversation with Katherine. He had accused her too many times of being a self absorbed fame whore. She didn't want to risk giving him one more opportunity to do so.

"You won't be upset over this, I mean, if I'm not ready right now for another child?" She looked up at him, waiting for his reaction, "Maybe a few years down the line when I've firmly got the grasps on motherhood and married life we could start trying again."

Troy shut his eyes, forcing himself into a state of acceptance, "Sharpay, the last thing I want to do is pressure you again into responsibility you're not ready for. If you don't want another child right now, then that's that."

She released the breath she had been holding, surprised it had been that easy," Okay then…"

"Just!" Troy quickly interjected before the conversation could die off, "Maybe think on it for just a week more? I know this is time sensitive, but maybe wait until we're all out in California living together just so you have an idea of what that's like before you're certain that this is what you want."

He gazed at her hopefully and Sharpay faltered, guilt ridden over her failure to be fully honest with him. Her concerns over her state as a beloved starlet would not change, regardless of where she was or whom she was with. But out of fairness to him, she couldn't deny him her full consideration over the issue before going through with her initial decision.

"Sure Troy," She answered, listening to his sigh of relief, "I'll give it a week."

* * *

"I'm going to have to quit my job." Troy shrugged, "I just don't think there's another way around it."

"Quit?" Lucille shook her head, "There's still the distinct possibility that things will not work out in the end with Sharpay. She's so impulsive Troy. Don't you want to be sure you still have all options open just in case?"

"Yes," He admitted, "But Sharpay wants to be back in California with Mckenzie tomorrow. I'm supposed to be back at work and I've run out of accumulated vacation days. I can't just ask for another week off and it will be extremely transparent if I start trying to take sick days immediately after too. I'm sure they'd fire me."

Lucille huffed, shaking her head, "Well, you could ask that Sharpay be patient and considerate of your own needs for once and stay here, or you could allow her to go back to California with Kenzie for a bit if she must and have her come back with her soon."

"I need to be with her this week," Troy tapped his foot anxiously, "You're not going to like this…"

"What?" She widened her eyes apprehensively, "Have you already agreed to move out there with her? Troy I haven't gotten to pick Mckenzie up from pre-school in weeks. I miss her terribly already. I spoke with Darby yesterday and even she admitted she was hoping you would find a way to keep 'Kenz in Albuquerque rather than in L.A. with Sharpay and she's her own daughter for God's sake."

"That's not all of it Mom," Troy answered, "Sharpay… she's pregnant again."

"Oh dear God," Lucille winced, allowing her head to fall into her hands.

"But she's not sure she wants to have the baby this time," He continued.

"Oh?" Lucille looked up again.

"Yeah, but I think she's just freaking out because of all that happened in the past with Mckenzie. And she's agreed to give me a week out in California with her and Mckenzie to consider what life might be like long term and I'm hoping maybe she'll realize she can handle another child." Troy finished.

"So you're hoping she will keep it?" His mother narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Troy, I know you love Sharpay but she hasn't even grasped the reins on true adulthood yet and given her history I would think the thought of her pregnant again would be reason for alarm."

"It was at first," Troy conceded, "But now I'm wondering if maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Think about it. It would keep me committed without giving up on her for a full nine months. If she did something stupid or made me really angry, I couldn't just up and leave her five months pregnant with my child. I'd have to stand by her and so we'd both have to learn how to adapt to living together again and learn how to cope and work through disagreements. And if at the end of all of it, she stayed then I would finally know I could trust her again; that she could be a wife and mother and that I wouldn't have to wonder anymore if she would do the same thing all over again if given a second chance. Maybe this is God's way of giving us the opportunity to really work things out for good."

"But Troy, you would be talking about another life the two of you would be bringing into the world," Lucille argued, "You can't just allow an innocent child to play testing variable in you and Sharpay's relationship. What if things don't work out and you end up with not only one but two children to raise on your own?"

"That would suck," He admitted, "But I want more than anything for things to work out with me and Sharpay. I love her Mom. I just don't think I could ever fall in love with anyone else again. She's my one."

Lucille reached for Troy's hand, patting it gently, wishing that her son might have found his perceived soulmate in a girl whose own greatest love was more than likely herself.

"The two of you made one beautiful child. If a second baby does come, it will be a gift to all of us."

* * *

Troy helped Sharpay to unload Mckenzie's things from home into her new room in California. Sharpay had purchased everything a little girl could need or want after arriving at her home after running off with her daughter on a whim that left Mckenzie with nothing more than the clothes on her back. Still, Troy had thought that Mckenzie might have wanted some of the items she was attached to from home and Sharpay was agreeable on making additions to the room.

The additions included Mckenzie's box of photos of Sharpay, although in truthfulness it made Sharpay uncomfortable, seeing the magazine cut outs as symbolism of her absence in her daughter's life during the time that each picture was taken. Nevertheless, knowing that the photos meant something to Mckenzie, she allowed it, helping Troy to hang the framed Vogue picture on the wall as well. Still, she kicked the lavender box into a secluded corner, clearing her throat as she stared down uncomfortably at it.

"It wouldn't be fair to Mckenzie!" She suddenly proclaimed, turning around on her heels to look at Troy wild eyed.

"What wouldn't be fair to Mckenzie?" He furrowed his brow, Mckenzie's favorite doll tucked under his left arm.

"If you and I had another baby and I never left! It would have years with me that Mckenzie never did and when she got older she would know it and she would hate me and hate the other child and she might think that I loved the other child more than her because I stayed," She clasped her hands together, ridden with anxiety, working herself up into a sudden panic.

Troy made a move to step towards her and Sharpay burst forth again, "I can't ever do that to her Troy. I just want the one. Just one little girl and that's all!"

"Okay, okay," Troy wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and gently soothing her.

Sharpay may have had more selfish underlying reasons for initially wanting to rid herself of an early pregnancy, but her concern was genuine. The sudden idea of Mckenzie finding herself unequal to another child in terms of Sharpay's attention and nurturing in her formative years was heart breaking.

"Sharpay, are you saying you never want another child again?" The question pained Troy, as he had always envisioned himself with a larger family someday; four children or so, perhaps.

"It's just, how could I do that to her?" Sharpay sniffled, "She would hate me Troy. Any resentment she may grow to have towards me in the future will be that much worse."

"Sharpay, Mckenzie loves you and she always will. You're her everything. Continue to be here for her now and I guarantee she won't hate you when she comes to terms with what you did. And she wouldn't hate a new baby. I'd love for Mckenzie to have a younger brother or sister."

Sharpay's tense body relaxed in Troy's arms upon his reassurance but still she muttered back, "I just don't know."

* * *

Sometime later, Troy was seated on Sharpay's plush sofa, while she and Mckenzie were both sprawled out on the living room floor with a spread of art supplies, drawing pictures together. Troy smiled as he watched them, realizing just how alike the two appeared when focused on an activity. They were both lying on their stomachs, their legs bent at the knees, feet up in the air and crossed at the ankles. Both were left handed, evident as they held their colored pencils, and both chewed on the corner of their bottom lip as they concentrated diligently on the drawings in front of him.

As Troy chuckled to himself he heard the sound of his phone vibrating a text message and he reached absentmindedly for his blackberry on the nightstand, his attention still focused on his girls. He glanced down to read the message on the screen and his heart sunk as he read it, simultaneously realizing the phone was not his own.

"Katherine" displayed at the top of the screen, the name of Sharpay's publicist.

"_Did you get rid of it?"_ Was the messages only content but Troy knew instinctively the woman was referring to he and Sharpay's potential baby and realized with a sinking in his stomach that Sharpay's decision to rid herself of the pregnancy probably had more to do with her publicist's career advice than he'd liked to have thought.

He pressed the back arrow to remove the message from his sight, contemplating on how he would handle discussing the matter with Sharpay. He didn't want to shout or make any accusations. That would surely only work against him. He was only hoping to convince her to think the decision through without the meddling of her publicist or anyone else who would convince her that she couldn't suffer the dent in her reputation this might cause.

He internally debated with himself over whether he should tell Sharpay he had accidentally read the text message or if he should try to play ignorant to the information and innocently bring the subject up anyhow. He glanced down at the phone again, where he had unintentionally navigated back to the screen displaying all contacts that had texted Sharpay. His intention was to turn the screen off and set the phone back on the nightstand, but the name of the most recent person to contact her before Katherine immediately caught his eye, his heart thudding against his chest heavily.

Bryce. Sharpay's lover before she had come back to Albuquerque. He knew he was prying now and that Sharpay would rightfully be furious if she knew, but he opened the message anyway, unable to stand the taunting curiosity it would create within him if he did not.

"_I don't get you. We spend the most amazing night together a couple weeks ago and now you won't talk to me again. Please call me." _

Troy wanted to vomit. He threw the phone down at his side, glaring heatedly at the woman he loved, reminding himself repeatedly that his daughter was in the room and he had no choice but to contain the rage and anguish boiling within him.

* * *

A/N: Hey y'all. Please review both of my recent updates (All That Glitters and Dark Side of the Rainbow.) I'm hoping Troypay stories aren't endangered of becoming extinct.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter, please.

xoxo.


	27. Chapter 27

Troy cleared his throat, "Um, Sharpay, I think you and I need to talk."

She looked up at him seated on the couch and nodded, "Sure," before focusing on her picture again.

"Now, please." His voice was stony, "'Kenz, how about you go to your room to play for a little while, okay?"

Mckenzie huffed, "I'm coloring with Mommy right now!"

"Come on baby, please?" Troy pleaded, "You can spend the rest of the day doing things with Mommy but Daddy just really wants to talk to her first."

Mckenzie looked back at Sharpay, who nodded gently, and with a loud groan the little girl leapt to her feet, stomping away from the living room.

Sharpay watched her daughter storm off, chuckling softly, distracting herself from her heart's hammering, worried over what could suddenly make Troy feel they needed an immediate private conversation.

"When were you going to tell me about this?" Troy burst holding up Sharpay's offending cell phone for her eyes.

Sharpay turned around in confusion and then froze, staring at the object in his hand, "Is that my phone?"

"Yes, and I'm learning quite a bit about you through the messages other people are sending you!" Troy snapped, throwing it at her.

Sharpay jumped to her feet, glowering down at Troy, still seated on the sofa, "What do you mean? You have no right to be going through my messages Troy!"

"I know that!" Troy jumped to his feet as well, "I swear I didn't mean to. I thought your phone was mine. But then I started reading a message from your damn publicist-"

"Okay, Troy, everything I said about being pregnant, and why I'm not sure we could handle another child, it's all still true!" She quickly jumped in for defense, "Don't worry about what Katherine says. I had to tell her I was pregnant, it's her job to give me advice on matters like this."

"Sharpay, I read another message too," Troy quickly moved the conversation along before it escalated.

"You did what?" Sharpay's hand flew out before Troy had a chance to protect himself, swinging for him and clawing at his neck, "Don't go through my things you bastard!"

"Ow!" Troy covered the scratch marks on his neck with his hand, "I swear to God, Sharpay, if you don't stop hitting me and throwing shit at me every time you're upset."

"I have a right to be upset Troy," She insisted, "You not respecting my privacy is just another example of how you don't respect _me_!"

"Yeah, well, I'd say you fucking somebody else is the perfect way to disrespect me!" He shot back at her, watching as her expression of anger gave way to shock, and she stepped back, stunned.

"What?"

"Bryce doesn't know why you won't call him after the two of you spent such an amazing night together a couple of weeks ago." Troy's voice fell flat, his eyes flooding with hurt as he watched her, waiting for her to respond.

"Oh." She was silent for a moment and then found the voice to respond, "Troy, it was the first night since I'd gotten back to California. You were so angry at me for taking off with Mckenzie and had just told me there was no way in hell the two of us were ever going to be together and have a family. I was hurting and I just wanted somebody to comfort me and hold me. I wasn't even cheating Troy, I thought that we were over."

"But Sharpay you were supposed to have come back to Albuquerque to try to work things out with me! I just don't understand how I could spend four years unable to move on from you and you can do it in less than twenty four hours," He shook his head, "Sharpay I love you so much. I don't understand. Years ago you were crazy about me. I realized how I felt about you, started to return the love full throttle, and then you ran away. You won't love me back in the way that I love you. I mean, did you ever?"

"Yes! Troy, yes," She insisted, "I've always loved you. I love you so much and I'm sorry for hurting you and I don't want to keep doing it."

"Then why do you always fuck everything up?" He snapped back, grabbing a fistful of hair in anguish, "Do you know how much it kills me picturing you panting underneath some other guy? How hard is it for you to go a day without letting somebody fuck you?"

Sharpay shook her head in frustration, "Troy it wasn't about sex. I just told you, you hurt me and I needed to be held."

"I hurt you?" He gaped in disbelief, "Sharpay you had just kidnapped my daughter without so much as leaving me a post-it note, I had every right to be angry and you had to expect some sort of initial backlash."

"But Troy that is exactly what I'm talking about," She persisted, "I didn't 'kidnap' Mckenzie because she's my daughter too! This is what I mean when I say you never listen. I was hurting too. You attacked me before I left, degraded me, treated me like I was four years old too. I know I was wrong to leave with 'Kenz and I know I was wrong to sleep with Bryce, but can't you even try to understand my point of view?"

Troy ground his jaw, indifferent to the pain it caused, "Were you ever planning on telling me you slept with him? Be honest."

Sharpay shrugged, her eyes wandering down to the floor beneath her, "Probably not. I knew this is how you would react if I did and I didn't see a reason for telling you considering we weren't together when I did it."

"Weren't together?" Troy was teetering on the verge of explosion, and threw his hands up in the air, a symbolic gesture of having truly given up, "Sharpay we were together! We've been together since the day I slid that ring on your finger. We're married! And by the way, what ever happened to that ring?"

He grabbed her left hand, holding it up to examine its nakedness, "That was my grandmother's ring. It meant a lot to our family. I put it on you because I thought you were becoming part of it. I haven't been with anybody else since you because I love you too much. I just wish you felt the same about me."

Sharpay let her hands fall to hang by her sides, exasperated, "Troy, I'm sorry, really. Let's just forget this and-"

"I don't know Sharpay," He interrupted her, "You know, I actually feel sorry for this Bryce guy. I bet he really loves you. And I know how bad it hurts to lose you. So maybe you ought to give him a chance."

"I don't want him. I want you!" She insisted, "You're making too big a deal out of this!"

"It's just one fucking thing after another again and again and again," Tears welled behind his eyes and he shook his head, "It never stops. I keep waiting for you to react differently in any given situation. To not do the selfish thing just once. But you never do. And I just don't want to keep having these fights Sharpay. I'm not sure we can ever work things out."

"Troy," Sharpay struggled to talk, the lump in her throat threatening to inhibit her speech entirely, "Please. I love you."

"I love you too. So much," He reached out to hold her hand, "You were right Pay. We can't handle another baby right now. As much as I may want it, it wouldn't be fair to bring a child into all of this. I feel bad enough for all Mckenzie's had to go through. Let's just make the appointment now."

She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, "If that's what you really want Troy."

He shook his head, "I'll never get what I really want."

* * *

Sharpay shook as she hung up the phone, "Mckenzie's been quiet for a good while," She noted.

Troy sighed guiltily, "She knows when something's wrong. She's hiding out."

He studied her face, noted a few faint worry lines already forming on her face, wondering to himself if perhaps she had aged just a bit too much for twenty five, already fatigued from a life filled with stress and regret.

He reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly, the two sitting in silence, the air in the room heavy, the long time coming ending of a relationship finally settling. Troy had seen the prospect of a new baby as the potential for he and Sharpay's relationship to finally move on to the next chapter, to leave all of the ugliness of the past behind. Now he finally thought that perhaps their book was closing entirely.

"Troy, I'm so sorry," She finally spoke up, so tense she was unable to even look at him.

"I know you are," He answered, stroking his thumb over her knuckles.

"We can work this out," She proclaimed fervently, suddenly shifting to face him, her eyes pleading with his.

"Maybe Sharpay," He spoke softly, seeking to placate her, "But I don't think we should be married anymore. It's not right. We haven't lived together in years, you see other men, we have a list of irreconcilable differences a mile long."

Sharpay shook her head repeatedly, refusing to accept what he was saying, "Troy my heart is breaking. Please."

He could feel his own sobs stirring from within, tears rising to the surface. He reached out for her, hooking his arm behind her knees and lifting her, pulling her into his lap. He stroked her hair, inhaled her scent, committing everything about her to his memory as he held her.

"Sharpay you're so perfect," He struggled to say the words he needed to, wanting to back out already, to forgive her again and let things resume the way she wanted them for the next week or so, before she screwed up again, "You're all I'll ever want. Please try to understand. If I didn't have Mckenzie, I would stay right here with you forever. It's just not fair to her. We can't keep having these horrible fights. I don't want her to witness anymore of them. She can't be around all this hatred, the anger, resentment, and hurt. I love you so much Pay, but we're just not making this work."

"What are you going to do?" She was breaking, struggling to see him through her watery vision, unable to contain the sobs that shook her, "Are you going back to Albuquerque?"

"I'll get a hotel here," He answered, "Until we figure everything out. I'll come with you to the appointment if you want."

"Please Troy," She clutched to him like a security blanket, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, "Don't leave me."

Her plea killed him. He hugged her close to him, rubbing her back and kissing her sticky cheeks, "I'll never leave you. I'll always be here for you Sharpay. I'm just trying to put us in a place where we won't hurt Mckenzie and ourselves."

"But please, don't be so hasty," She begged, "You're just upset right now. Please, stay here tonight. Let's go upstairs and-"

"No, Sharpay," He cut her off as gently as he could, "I'm following my head and not my heart on this one, but I've got to do it for the sake of my daughter. I have to be a responsible parent. I have to put her first."

She struggled to gain control of her crying, forcing herself to stop. She stood, her legs shaking, glowering above him.

"Fine then," She sniffed, wiping away the tears from beneath her eyes, "Mckenzie has her own room here. I'm sure she'd much prefer that to a hotel. So she'll stay with me, right?"

It wasn't what he would have preferred, but he granted her permission anyway, "Yes. She can stay with you for now."

"Good," She spoke briskly, "You can leave whenever you want then. I'm going to go shower off. I'm sure I look terrible right now."

"I'm so sorry Sharpay," He apologized one more time.

Unable to look him in the eyes any longer, she turned away.

* * *

Troy lay back on the neatly made hotel bed, staring at the numbers on the bedside alarm clock, illuminated with a red glow. Each passing second brought him closer to the awaited time, the impending moment he anticipated with a sickening dread.

It had been two days since he had left Sharpay's house, and although he had intended to call her before now to again offer her his support on this day, he found himself unable to do so. He was burdened with guilt over it, feeling shitty and selfish, but the thought of being forced to witness the termination was unbearable. He simply could not.

He tossed his phone above him, catching it in midair, over and over again. Even now he was hoping to work up the courage to call her. He had to do it sometime, he reminded himself. Facing her afterwards would be just as difficult and yet he knew he had to. She was the mother of his child for God's sake. He couldn't do to her what she'd done to him, running away and avoiding her.

He wasn't sure how he was going to be able to see her again. Knowing that their potential to bring new life into the world was gone; that he had called a final halt to anymore progression in their relationship, when what he wanted more than anything was to love her and raise a family with her. He regretted how quickly he had reacted before, after discovering that text message. More than anything he regretted standing beside her while she made that phone call. He wanted this baby and yet it was on his initiation that she had finally made the official move to get rid of it.

A slow panic was setting in and Troy was able to envision himself years later, still living with regret over this moment, when he let her go through with it alone. He was filled with a sudden self-loathing. This is what he had always done. He didn't listen to her when she tried to explain her side of the story, counted his reasoning as greater than hers. He wittingly allowed her to battle through hardships alone when he knew he should be sharing the burden. He could be a self-centered jerk too at times and yet he faulted Sharpay for it in a way that made it impossible for her to ever redeem herself to him.

With a firm resolve he dialed her number, his stomach dropping with a thud when her voicemail picked up on the second ring. As he dialed again, he brought his feet down onto the carpet, standing up. When Sharpay ran off years ago, she hadn't known that he'd chased after her. He didn't intend for things to end the same way this time.

* * *

He was scarcely sure he could make it in time. Whether it was from anger towards him or accidental negligence, she wasn't answering her phone. He had hopped in his rental and drove away with a lead foot, hoping to make it to the clinic in time.

Of course, she had chosen a place in a relatively secluded area outside of Los Angeles to ensure no photographers caught her in such a sticky situation. It was a long drive out there, and the GPS' predicted arrival time warned Troy that it would be a close call.

He arrived less than ten minutes away from the appointment time, searching the parking lot frantically for her, hoping she wasn't already inside in some back room, having the thing done.

He might not have even glanced over at the woman walking swiftly towards the building's doors, had her stilettos not been making such a loud clacking noise against the pavement to match her frantic steps.

"Shar?" Her side profile was almost familiar, and when she froze in her tracks, Troy ran towards her.

He had to smile at her disguise. The long brunette wig had almost thrown him of all people off and the oversized sunglasses she wore covered nearly half of her face.

"Troy what are you doing here?" She was shocked, and studied him through her dark frames apprehensively. The truth was, she didn't want him here with her. He might have thought his support would make things easier on her, but she knew having him next to her would only makes things immensely more difficult.

"Sharpay, I've spent the past couple of days all alone, without you or Mckenzie, or any other friend or family member to distract me. I wallowed around in a hotel room this entire time feeling sorry for myself and then today… I realized something," He reached for her sunglasses, pulling them away from her face so he could look into her eyes, "I was wrong Sharpay."

"Wrong?" Sharpay grabbed the glasses from him and shoved them in her purse, then tried to make her exit, "Okay Troy, we can talk everything through in a little while, but I'm going to be late."

She made an effort to step away from him, but he grabbed her arm and held her there, "No Sharpay. Please, just hear me out for a minute."

She froze in place, the sun beating down on both of them as they stood on the asphalt, though the heat was nowhere near the front of either of their minds.

"You were right. Sharpay, I didn't listen to you. I treated you like a child. I told myself that this time it was justified, that you weren't acting like a responsible adult, but I know I did this to you before you ever ran away. I knew you were scared and hurting. I was the selfish one then. I let it continue because it was easier for me to ignore it and pretend we were the happy family I wanted us to be. And then you left," He held her by her shoulders, a gesture of his support as he continued, "Sharpay I can't pretend that I'll ever be able to fully understand how you were able to run off like that and leave Mckenzie behind, or that there really is a full justification for it. But I can accept that you were a lonely and depressed child and that I wasn't being the supportive husband I should have been. I know I've hurt you terribly Sharpay and I'm sorry."

She covered her mouth to conceal her sobs, an apology and recognition she never thought she'd hear from him finally given to her.

Troy rubbed her arms soothingly before continuing, "I want to tell you that I don't want you to do this, but I know that isn't really fair of me to say. So I came to tell you that if you wanted to keep this baby, I would be there with you every second of the way. And all of your doubts and fears, you could tell them all to me and I wouldn't judge you and I'd help you through them. And that I'll stop questioning why I love you, or whether or not I should, and I'll just do it, because at the end of the day you're all I really want and I know you'll make me happy. But if you think that now's not the time to have another baby and you don't feel ready for it, then I'm not pressuring you. I'll walk inside with you right now and stand beside you the entire time and I won't judge you for that either. I love you Sharpay and whatever you decide, I'll stand by you."

She flung herself at him, needing to be in his arms immediately, shaking her head fervently, "You decide Troy. I'll move to Albuquerque for you. I'll have your babies. I just never thought that you would give me that apology. I didn't think you even knew…"

He stroked her hair without even realizing it was a wig he was caressing, "I'm tired of hurting Sharpay," He told her, "And I'm tired of watching you in pain too. We're going to grow up, okay? Both of us, and start handling our problems like real adults. No more weekly break ups either."

Sharpay nodded in agreement, reaching up to hold his face, "This is it, me and you."

Troy wrapped his arms around her lower waist, holding her tightly against him, "No more messing around."

* * *

A/N: The story isn't over quite yet, but as you can probably tell, we're nearing the end.

In the end Sharpay's holding Troy's face and saying, "This is it, me and you." If you can tell that little snippet was inspired by the last episode of Friends, then you're just as creepy as I am, and you get major brownie points. I'm a huge Friends buff, and I'm convinced that if High School Musical were made into a ten season television series, Troy and Sharpay would be the Ross and Rachel of the group. Gabriella would be like annoying Emily who shows up to wreck season four. But we all know whose name he says at the altar. I digress.

I've been working on this story for over two years. Understandably, I'm very emotionally attached to it, and it depresses me that it's finally reaching its end. I'm going to need to write a new story to fill this void. So shortly, I am going to upload a couple of story summaries to my profile page and open a poll asking y'all which one you'd most want to read. Please go check this out and vote.

Lastly, as always, please, please, review. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and, once again, I'm sorry some of you hate Sharpay, but I think by chapter 27 of a story, you would either have accepted my plot line, or stopped reading. Otherwise entitled, you can hate her all you want, and I don't mind if you tell me so, but please stop personally attacking me, you don't even know me bitch.

xoxo,

A.


End file.
